Star Wars: The Arden Lyn Chronicles: Kashi Mer Edition
by Tenkai Nankobo 101
Summary: The road to salvation is seldom ever an easy one. Relive every moment of the ancient woman Arden Lyn's quest to quell the demons haunting her mind, the moments of joy in Arden upon the birth of her daughter, and once again witness her tragic death at the hands of Emperor Palpatine in this unabridged edition of the Arden Lyn Chronicles!
1. SW: ALC: ITV: Prologue & Chapter One

Star Wars

The Arden Lyn Chronicles

Into the Void

By

Christopher Cleveland & Diego Feliu

**Prologue**

Even though Arden Lyn had had more than enough time to get accustomed to lightspeed travel, having it done it several times since her revival on Irkalla, it still bedazzled her every time. Something about it awoke a kind of wonder that reminded her of her childhood, a speck long forgotten to others. For Arden Lyn had been born twenty-five thousand years before the present Clone Wars and was imprisoned in a state between life and death for her insubordination to the Jedi Order of those old days. Now, with her new apprentice Depa Billaba, the Ember of Vahla, and the Sorcerers of Tund, she set out to forge a new life and a new destiny to call her own.

As far as she was concerned, at least part of that destiny intelled journeying to the Great Void in the Universe where an enemy unlike any other awaited her. This enemy was the Yuuzhan Vong and Arden knew that what she had seen of them before was only a sample of what lied ahead for them. "Milady, we're getting very close to the end of the path taken by the fleet we destroyed in Malastare," one of the Sorcerers stated. "Good, have all forward and flanking cannons ready to fire at Yuuzhan Vong ships upon arrival," she replied.

Bowing, he left her alone except for her apprentice, who had joined her to enjoy the view of the current of starfire all around them. "It's beautiful when it's new to you, isn't it?" she asked her mistress. Arden nodded and added that it still never ceased to take her breath away as to how beautiful it was to her. "I've been around it long enough to take it for granted but I forget that you were in hibernation for twenty-five millennia and as such, don't have my luxury," Depa added.

"You say that like luxury is a curse to you," Arden said. "It's a double-edged sword, as you know, that has both its benefits and its disadvantages. Sadly, the disadvantages outnumber the benefits for the most part though there are exceptions," Depa admitted. "Like what, for instance?" Arden asked her apprentice.

She was testing to see if Depa had learned anything useful from Arden's training though her own personal wisdom never ceased to humble Arden when it came up. "The spoils of war mistress, sometimes they can be far more beneficial than detrimental to the progress of our fight," Depa said. Smiling, she was content with that answer and knew that Arden would not object to it though there might be slight disagreement within her.

_She learns more by the hour than I can teach her in a day, I wonder what dangers lie ahead for that sort of progress. The best student is one who does not greedily consume what the Master has to teach though they refine what they have been taught_ Arden thought rather silently. "Even the spoils of war are sometimes deadly to the victors but in the end, there is no true victor in any fight. War eats and eats and eats until all that remains are those who have destroyed all their enemies; even then, war does not stop eating and eventually consumes its original supplier," she said aloud.

"But if the supplier is something like the Jedi, war always has a guaranteed supply of food," Depa stated. "That's probably the reason they've survived: war eats the best of them and the rest are left to spoil in the heat of the rotting dead," Arden agreed. Before anymore could be said, they arrived.

**Chapter One**

Thrawn was baffled at how his Yuuzhan Vong enemies could be so patient, perhaps they were waiting for his allies to arrive. If that was the case, he would need to act quickly once they did arrive in order to get them our alive. _Whoever's leading these fleets has learned from their previous mistakes, can't say I'm not surprised considering how long I've been fighting them_ he thought. "Sir, Arden Lyn and her allies will be in position to face the Yuuzhan Vong Main Fleet shortly; all our own forces are ready just like you ordered," one of his captains told him.

"Good, tell them that they may begin their attack when the Yuuzhan Vong have begun their own attack on Arden," Thrawn replied. The captain bowed and went to relay his orders to the Chiss Ascendancy's mightiest fleets. "Oh and Captain, before you go, the Killiks are still in position to be used as our shield against the Yuuzhan Vong, correct?" Thrawn asked, catching the man before he left. "Yes sir, they'll be the first ones to fight them at your command just like you asked," the officer answered.

"Good, tell them the signal for their attack against the Yuuzhan Vong shall be given soon. And tell them to wait until the hear the words 'Sword of Morpheus' on the open frequency. That will be their signal to attack the Yuuzhan Vong when I'm ready for them to do so. But first, Arden will contact me upon her arrival if she does not come under bombardment immediately," Thrawn stated.

"Yes sir, I shall await further orders in the meantime and obey the ones already given," the Captain said, bowing before he left. _Such formality, I'm_ _beginning_ _to wonder if I should ban it considering how it delays sending the point I need send to the Yuuzhan Vong_ Thrawn thought. However, he concluded that it ultimately matter because if done right, this would mean his victory against the Yuuzhan Vong forevermore and a commendation like no other from his people. Granted, he had no use for the fame and fortune of his people's formality in the long run but it would be good for revenge.

After all, his peers had dictated that he was to be exiled because of "treasonous action" against the Ascendancy. In all actuality, Thrawn would have proven that he was far more loyal to the cause of wiping out the Killiks and destroying the Yuuzhan Vong than did the Council that had banished him. Smiling, he was smug in his ultimate victory, knowing that there was almost no reason that it would go wrong for him. The only thing that could go wrong was all that concerned Arden Lyn, from losing her life in the battle to having to abandon her and leave her to a worse fate than even he could imagine.

Undoubtedly, the latter would have her thinking that he had betrayed her and her new cult, making her vow to come for him and kill him when she caught up to him. It wouldn't matter if it took her thirty years to come back from the Void or just thirty days, she would find him and make him pay. _Whatever it takes, I must not let this woman fall into their hands or into a place where I cannot rescue her from their savage attempts at destruction. She is far too temperamental for me to allow that to happen her and she has dealt with enough betrayal as it is_ he told himself silently.

And as if the thought was heard across the stars, Arden called in to signal that she had arrived alas to the edge of the Void. "I will be engaging the Yuuzhan Vong shortly, I will be taking on the Main Fleet but I cannot cover any that come behind us," she said. "We will take care of the blind spot for you, just worry about destroying the Main Fleet and forcing the enemy on the run," he replied. "Very well, I look forward to the celebrations for our victory against the Yuuzhan Vong," she stated calmly.

"As do I, milady, as do I," Thrawn said. Bowing, she cut transmission and he knew she probably did so just in time to see the beginnings of the attack. He wondered if there would be anything _to_ celebrate at the end of this conflict or if there would only be sorrow. For with war, there was always a balance between the festivities of the victors and the grief they feel within for those who perished.

**Czulkang Lah, Warmaster of** the Yuuzhan Vong Fleet, had decided to bring his son Tsavong along so that the boy could witness the grand finale of the war. If their people won, they would be able to move into the divided galaxy and take it for themselves like all the rest before it. "This enemy has given us a good run for our riches even if in the end, they must fall," Tsavong stated in his observation. "Careful what you say son, the battle has not yet even begun and victory can very quickly turn to defeat before you are no longer helpless to do anything about it," Czulkang replied.

"Look over there sir, it looks like they've sent their first force to try and take on the Main Fleet," an officer interjected bluntly._ Interrupt my son's learning like that again and I will surely kill you when we're through unless there's a damned good reason for it_ Czulkang thought angrily. Tsavong, however, continued to observe the space around them as it immediately began to fill with ships that were both friendly and hostile to his father's armies. "Good, hold position and let them begin their attack, I will have the fleet to the southwest come and strike them from behind," Czulkang ordered.

"But sir, with due respect, that is very risky: their resources could surely wipe out up to half of our Main Fleet by the time that other group arrives," the officer stated. "That's the risk we'll have to take in order to wipe out this enemy and besides, we have no other choice. We need everyone to even stand a chance of fighting against this enemy we face, let alone win this war forever," Czulkang said. "Very well milord, we shall order them to begin making their way and to bombard the enemy as soon as they arrive," the officer stated before beginning the preparations he mentioned.

"He looks to be afraid for his life, father," Tsavong whispered to his father. "What makes you say that, my dear boy?" Czulkang asked, whispering in return. "Notice that his forehead glistens with his sweat like a coward's head does when he fears death," Tsavong answered. "Hmm, that is a good observation: perhaps I shall bring it up to his attention after we have completed our task here," Czulkang said.

Smiling, he let his son continue to watch as the attack began, the enemy's starfighters taking off from the main hangar of their cruiser to intercept the Yuuzhan Vong equivalents. "Have our fighters stall the enemy as long as they can while our main cruisers warm up their batteries for firing," he ordered. "Batteries, milord?" another officer asked. "Their weapons, have all cannons ready, you know exactly what I mean when I say batteries!" Czulkang hissed.

At his nod, Czulkang watched as his son used his whip to move some people along and had to admit that the boy made him prouder and prouder by the day. _Soon, you will be ready for the title of Warmaster and your place as my equal, very soon. But the time has still not come though I am faithful that it won't be much longer before it does_ he thought but didn't say. Then he turned back to watch the battle slowly take shape and substance before him, a strategic puzzle ready for solving.

**Onimi and Shimrra observed** through a video recorder that Czulkang had engaged the Chiss and Killik union for what would be the final battle between them. The stakes were simple: defeat meant being lucky to have mere scraps of their military out of it, nevermind their livelihood. Victory meant that they would have one more galaxy to add to the collection of galaxies that fell to their conquest. If successful, they would be able to move on to other galaxies that probably could be more powerful.

_No matter what happens, I will still have Shimrra under my belt until I'm ready to dispose of him_ Onimi thought to himself. He liked being this close to the Supreme Overlord and being indirectly able to control his people for the first time in his life. After all, it had been not long ago that everyone had persecuted and cursed him for his more frail body as well as his other shortcomings including his power. But this power was put to good use and many of his former persecutors had now turned their faces the other way to find new scapegoats rather than harass him a while longer.

Now, he could command their executions in revenge if he wanted but he wouldn't, not yet anyway. He would wait until either victory and defeat was assured for Czulkang's forces and then he would determine whether or not it would be a good time to do it. After all, a defeat would mean having to ensure that every powerful officer alive in order to keep the people unified in crisis. But victory would mean that Shimrra and Czulkang could both gloat in any manner they desired, especially with murdering.

Yes, the Court Jester would have to continue his duties and kiss ass for many of these nobles either way. However, the victory would mean that he could persuade Shimrra to do away with these old enemies if he wished. _Perhaps, I can even bring up Czulkang's past actions that are more treasonous in nature and have his heroism automatically discredited. That would be so dishonorable to him that he would have to kill himself and his family_ Onimi observed silently.

Something like that was useful to his advantage especially since it was uniquely a Warmaster means of restoring honor. The only downside was that the dead had no value for honor and the living stripped themselves of any chance of enjoying it if they did that. Czulkang and Tsavong, his son, would not realize that until they were already almost dead and that was what Onimi wanted. "Tell me friend, what do you foresee being the outcome of this battle?" Shimrra asked.

Onimi observed the setup of both formations and had to admit that he could already notice several mistakes that Czulkang had made. Instead of pointing them out to Shimrra immediately, he decided just to answer the question first and then use them as his reasoning if need be. "I foresee Czulkang failing and coming back here with very little if any of our mighty fleet," he answered. "And why is that?" Shimrra inquired, prompting Onimi to state his observations.

"Czulkang intends to use the Main Fleet as a shield to our floating cities whilst stalling our enemy until the southwestern fleet arrives and surrounds them. Good setup but the man we fight is Admiral Thrawn: he will probably have anticipated this and will act accordingly. This simply means that he probably has the Killik forces set aside just waiting for their chance and he will send them to attack. Warmaster Lah will be lucky if he manages to save anything of the Main Fleet and saving the southwesterners would be impossible," Onimi explained.

"Would we still have enough to defend ourselves from invaders if need be?" Shimrra asked. "Not against our enemy no but against other intergalactic species, quite possibly yes," Onimi answered. "Good, we can punish Czulkang for his incompetence, stating that it has dishonored our people and may need to kill himself to restore his family honor," Shimrra said. "Let us not do that: Czulkang has been one of the finest officers we've employed against Thrawn and doesn't deserve ingratitude," Onimi said.

_He'll die anyway but that way would be much too direct and nearly shameless though also entirely pointless_ Onimi added to himself. "As you wish, my friend. For now, let us enjoy the final battle of this war that we have been waging against the Chiss and the Killiks for years, shall we?" Shimrra requested. Onimi nodded and took a seat beside his Overlord before continuing to watch the battle unfold in its entirety.

**Depa Billaba, apprentice of** Arden Lyn, attempted to connect her mind to her Mistress's in order to conduct Battle Meld and enhance their troops' motivation. But she immediately noticed a problem: none of her telepathic powers worked here nor did any telekinesis. She could still use Pyrokinesis, Force Crush, and several other powers she had but those were mostly energy-based. Then it occurred to her that her Mistress had mentioned Yuuzhan Vong resistance telepathy and telekinesis.

Unfortunately, this included all related powers such as Battle Meld and perhaps Force Crush. Since the fires of pyrokinesis came as an energy, she could use that but it was far more limiting than not. Force Lightning was much better power to extensively use and she would do such a thing if her lightsaber and other manual means failed. However, instead of worrying about that entirely, Depa went to obey Arden's orders and join the Ember of Vahla as they faced down the enemy Yuuzhan Vong.

Not since fighting with Mace Windu had she been on a starfighter and her rustiness showed somewhat though not very much. _Good thing these warriors have not yet noticed that I am rusted in piloting a starfighter, otherwise they might have thought me a rookie_ she said to herself. But overcoming her rustiness, Depa was quick to begin leading the Ember of Vahla into battle. It felt good to be leading an army again even if her new Mistress wasn't here to enjoy the thrills with her.

Understandably, Arden still had much to learn and that included piloting a ship capable of hyperspace flight. But that did not mean she wasn't participating in the battle: Arden was using the power of her Talisman to help the Sorcerers of Tund fight from in the ship. Its power meant that they would be able to send energy-based attacks at their enemy whilst having a shield to protect them. But Depa began to wonder if even its power would be enough to sustain them against this new enemy.

After all, they could resist telepathic-based and telekinetic-based attacks as it was. Unless the Talisman undid this resistance, which she doubted, there wasn't much it could do to stem the tide. Whatever Thrawn was up to, he would need to do it soon if there was to be any chance of them all surviving this battle and returning for festivities. Unless he planned to sacrifice Arden, Depa, and their forces in exchange for complete and total victory over this extragalactic species that had plagued him.

**Thrawn saw the formation** that Arden and Depa had taken and had to admit that he was impressed despite the overall shoddiness of it. After all, the women had set themselves up perfectly for the completion of his plan and when he saw the southwestern fleet arrive, he knew what to do. "Captain Lethe, you may send the signal to the Killiks to engage the southwestern fleet ," he said at last. "Yes sir, I shall do that immediately: the insectoids already know what the signal is and will act on it," Lethe said.

"Copy that," Thrawn replied. And when he saw the results, he was immediately dazzled by what it turned out to be. When the Killiks were given the signal, they crossed the border of the Unknown Regions and hit the southwesterners so quickly that they couldn't hit back for many minutes. Such was the efficiency and speed of their takeoff that Thrawn even wondered if he shouldn't kill them but spare them when he had to dethrone the more treasonous officers of the Chiss Ascendancy.

Holding his glass of wine, Thrawn decided to take a stroll across his facility though he let the officers surrounding him know where he was going beforehand. Slowly walking along the snaking passages and hallways, Thrawn enjoyed the cold scent of Irkalla's clean air entering his lungs. This planet couldn't support much without help from importers but it was a good place for a military base. Isolation, desolate weather, and uncharted dangers did all sorts of things to help the training of future soldiers of the Chiss Ascendancy such as those who joined Thrawn.

Arriving at his destination, he examined the painting that Arden Lyn often visited which remained on the wall even now that the Chiss had made this fortress their base. He never really noticed the details before though he knew it well enough from several glances and some moments of looking at it. But he never truly examined the texture and the dimension in the portrait painted of Arden's mighty husband. Xendor held a massive red cloth tied to a flagpole in his left hand and in his right, he held his unsheathed sword whilst standing amidst a massive pile of dead Jedi bodies with the sky burning behind him.

As Thrawn examined the perfect portrait as well as the damage on the wall surrounding it from when Arden had punched it in anger, he came to realize something. The way Arden had touched it had not been only in memory of Xendor but also in memory of how she had originally painted it. _Arden Lyn, mighty woman warrior and survivor of the First Schism, was a painter too_ he thought, smiling. Luckily, his gloves were on and he had done no damage to the portrait itself but he could see nothing from when Arden had touched it with her bare hands.

Perhaps she used some trick with the Force in knowledge of the damage human hands could do to such fine art but then, perhaps not. Finally, the Admiral supposed that it couldn't harm since she was the first to have touched the portrait of her husband in twenty-five thousand years. _The composer lives to see the rather minimal damage that time has taken on her creation. No wonder why she liked coming here after all_ Thrawn said, chuckling to himself in respect of the woman he had befriended.

He also came to another realization: that the portrait was not a depiction of Xendor as the glorious hero Arden remembered but rather what he had become before his death. She had painted the possession of the Talisman as it took its toll on him both mentally and physically. In this one painting, she had beautifully depicted the inner demise of a hero before his outer shell was destroyed by the Jedi. Because of that, Thrawn had to admit that he truly didn't know Arden half as well as he thought he did for she had displayed talent in an area where he had least expected it: artistry at its most beautiful.

He heard steps just as he came to this realization and the pace indicated that this was something that immediately demanded his attention. "Admiral Thrawn!" Captain Lethe exclaimed, panting violently due to running to his Master. "What is it, Lethe?" Thrawn asked. "The Ascendancy Council has just withdrawn their support from the fight and have taken half our men with them!" Lethe answered.

"They did what? The war isn't even over yet for goodness sake!" Thrawn demanded, marching back to the communications center with Lethe. "I know it sounds ridiculous (I couldn't even believe it myself right as they told me) and I even told them that it was a bad idea but they wouldn't listen to me. In fact, they told me to tell you that as soon as the Killiks and Arden Lyn are through with the Yuuzhan Vong, you are to make a truce with their Supreme Overlord!" Lethe replied.

"Are they still on the channel?" Thrawn inquired. "I was able to get them to stay on condition that they speak with you to make sure you approved of this. They say it's the only way you'll regain the lost half of your resources if you want them back badly enough," Lethe explained. _By the time I manage that, it could all be over for Arden and the crew with her_ Thrawn thought angrily.

He couldn't believe the incompetence of the Council nor could he believe that he was actually having to betray Arden in order to avoid defeat. After all his inner talk and his vow not to betray the poor girl, it had been for nothing now that the Council had done this insult to his honor. "What is the meaning of this?" Thrawn demanded as soon as he could see the Council's faces.

"For thirty years, we have been fighting with the Yuuzhan Vong and have been in the Killik alliance for ten. Soon, the Killik warriors will be annihilated and we will have the Yuuzhan Vong at a point where they cannot fight back at us if we hit them with our full might," the leader, Moses, said. "The Killiks are not our only allies out there in those stars, you pitiful, incompetent fools!" Thrawn hissed. "Are you referring to those female Humans with the Sorcerers of Tund, the Ember of Vahla, and four dozen of your hand picked staff on board their cruiser?" Moses asked.

"Of course, I'm referring to them you moron! I promised them that I would see to it that they safely returned and I am not about to betray them," Thrawn answered. "In war, great sacrifices such as this are always necessary; I can't imagine them lasting very long without Killik aid," Moses said. Thrawn turned his screens to see that Moses was surprisingly close to the truth on his suspicion that Arden wouldn't last much longer.

"Which do you choose Thrawn? The women and their witchcraft or your life and your future?" Moses asked, warning Thrawn. After a long moment of thought, Thrawn vowed he would pay for this.


	2. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

"Lady Billaba, our men and women are being swatted out like flies! It's not going to be much longer before we'll have to retreat to the cruiser," exclaimed the leader of the Ember of Vahla._ Damn, have the Yuuzhan Vong already grazed through so many of our soldiers like nothing?_ she thought. "Very well, pull everyone out and back to the cruisers: I'll have my Mistress cover our escape with the Sorcerers of Tund," she replied aloud.

Piloting was not her specialty and she realized that apparently, it wasn't the specialty of the Vahla either. However, they had given the Yuuzhan Vong a hell of a fight in the starfighters and now that the Killiks were here, they didn't have to worry about the more massive cruisers from the Main Fleet. The southwestern fleet that had caught them off guard earlier had been wiped out as a result though some of the Vahla fighters were caught in the crossfire due to poor strategic positioning earlier. "Attention all starfighters still flying, this is Arden Lyn contacting you to order you to return to the ship if you aren't already doing so," said her Mistress' voice on the comm channel.

"Mistress, this is Depa, I presume you have a plan for confronting the Yuuzhan Vong forces?" Depa asked immediately. "Affirmative and the Sorcerers are going to play a big part in the fruition of these plans. Speak no more until you're in the safety of the ship and move it: I hate delays," Arden said. "Copy that Mistress, all Vahla fighters, report back to the cruiser immediately and make sure not to get shot down while you do it!" Depa said into the comm channel.

It took at least an hour for all of the ships that survived the collision with the Yuuzhan Vong to arrive but when they did, Arden was to the point on their briefing. "Each transport will require twenty-four starfighters as escort and contains two-hundred of the Sorcerers. You will be escorting three such transports to each of these highlighted Yuuzhan Vong ships with the intent to destroy them. After that, if you survive, return here for the next escort duty but remember that it will likely be a one-way trip for all the transports you escort," she explained.

_She intends to sacrifice the power of the Sorcerers to destroy the Main Fleet and has calculated how many would be needed for each. I didn't anticipate such cunning on my Mistress' part but then, I never really have managed to anticipate much from her_ Depa thought silently. "Apprentice, I will need you here in case the Yuuzhan Vong manage to breach the cruiser and pursue its destruction. Your powers will be better used in combination to mine for the defense of this place," Arden said.

Depa didn't want to argue about that nor did she think that it was even worth arguing considering the relief she felt at not having to fly again. However, she sensed something wrong and had the feeling that she would probably see almost none of these people again. Not that she cared for them much but she did have to wonder if it was really necessary for them to have stumbled into this deathtrap. Would they get out alive and if so, would they be rescued by Thrawn and his soldiers or would they be betrayed and left to die by him?

Unfortunately, the thought apparently prompted Thrawn's hologram to appear in their communications array and deliver news from his front. "The Chiss Ascendancy has robbed me of half my resources and has ordered me to deliver terms of a truce with the Yuuzhan Vong. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't the half that was quintessential to defeating them and rescuing you two if need be," the Chiss Officer immediately said. "So you are going to just simply leave us to die!?" Depa exclaimed.

"I have no choice, I tried to persuade them to give me the resources back so that I could rescue you two and give you a proper start to the rescue of Vergere. However, they were stubborn and demanded that I fulfill their terms before I can get them back and by then, it'd be too late," he admitted. "You betrayer and break of promises!" Depa shouted, grabbing him in a Force Choke in anger. "There was nothing I could do, I had no choice but I will avenge you, I assure you," Thrawn replied in gasps.

"Let him go apprentice, there is nothing more that can be done and killing him won't make a difference. Not now, anyways," Arden ordered. She wanted to get back at him for this as well but she knew better than to do it when she was under attack from another enemy. "Defend the ship at all costs and if necessary, we'll make an escape that we can use to attempt returning to Thrawn," she added.

"You're on your own as far as an escape goes anyway. I can't even help you escape with what I have but I can warn you both now of impending danger: the Ascendancy will be coming in my place. They'll annihilate everything that stands on the firing end of their cannons whether it's you or the Yuuzhan Vong. I suggest that you escape as soon as you can but stall the Yuuzhan Vong at least until they're close," Thrawn said.

_This Ascendancy that he answers to intends to wipe out everything here in the fringes of the Void for victory over the Yuuzhan Vong. Typical strategy that General Grievous used when he was faced with defeat on a front he couldn't afford to lose_ Depa thought. She began to regret having Force-Choked the Admiral but she couldn't help but snap in the face of his helplessness. "We'll do what we can and we may yet still see about bringing back your Jedi Vergere when we've escaped," Depa heard her Mistress say to Thrawn.

"I don't see how you could manage a rescue after barely escaping with your own lives but if that is your wish, I will not stop you. However, I suggest that you move quickly about it: the more time you waste, the more the Ascendancy has to arrive and blast you to hell," Thrawn warned them. Arden nodded and said that she and her apprentice would do just that before cutting transmission with him. Depa decided it was best not to ask her Mistress how she intended to rescue the lost Jedi Vergere when they could barely rescue themselves from this mess.

But once again, she reminded herself not to question Arden's abilities as a leader for she saw ahead and kept calm whenever Depa couldn't do either. "Livy, have the Ember of Vahla that remain done as I instructed them to do?" Arden asked. "Yes ma'am, they flew off with the transports without you even waiting to give them a signal," the leader of the Vahla answered. "Good, they wasted no time waiting on me like I feared they would; now we just wait for any remaining Yuuzhan Vong to come," she said.

**As soon as Czulkang** saw the beginnings of the resurgence in the near-defeated starfighters and the transports they accompanied, his first thoughts weren't on destroying them. Rather, his first thoughts were actually on getting his son to safety since the Main Fleet would like be destroyed at this point. "Captain, arrange for a transport to go back to the City and make sure that the pilot understands that he is not to return until at least this has ended! Tsavong, get your ass to that transport and stay put in the city until I order otherwise for you," he said aloud, bursting the orders almost non-intelligibly.

Luckily for Czulkang, Tsavong knew better than to waste a single moment in questioning his father's orders and a pilot was quickly arranged. "Ready all cannons and torpedoes, I want those transports and those starfighters gunned down the moment you can get a good shot," he added. The men aboard his ship were also quick to obey that order and relay it to others without questioning him. _What are the allies of the Chiss Ascendancy up to and why have they forced this sudden fear upon my mind?_ Czulkang asked himself.

Was this their intent: to instill fear into his mind and persuade him to make mistakes that he normally wouldn't make? Or was it his gut instinct telling him that the Ascendancy was merely using this to prepare for something much worse than he was seeing? It would be an excellent explanation of his fears as well as an example of the cunning of the Chiss enemy that he faced before him. After all, they had wisely used their Killik allies as shields as well as some other allies for distracting him.

"Fortify defenses and be prepared for anything that they throw. If the transports break into the ships, have the soldiers do what they can to kill the passengers before they can do anything. Aside from that, just keep a vigilant lookout for anything with the stamp of the Ascendancy on it," he added._ I have the feeling that they'll have a part to play in the final outcome before this is over_ he thought.

**Onimi found himself fascinated** by the sudden turn of events that were playing before the recorder that he and Shimrra used to view the battle. Czulkang suddenly desired his son to leave the area and had barked orders almost one right after the other like a common dog. _Never have I seen him this weak before but then maybe it isn't weakness so much as some sort of insight_ he thought. Being a Warmaster came with certain abilities such as a strange, sudden insight into the future of virtually any battle against virtually any enemy which made battles between each other very difficult to finish.

But this was an enemy who didn't have that advantageous insight yet had somehow been able to calculate many of Czulkang's movements without much effort. He wondered if the Force helped any of these officers or if it was just sheer cunning in the case of many of the officers opposing Czulkang Lah. Maybe it was just blind luck or the "will of the Force" as their Jedi Knights called it whenever something like this happened.

"Why does Czulkang suddenly shout out these orders to his troopers when he has not done this before?" Shimrra asked suddenly. Sometimes, the Supreme Overlord had a tendency to surprise Onimi with the things that he would come out and ask but this was far from the worst of such things. However, he did wish that Shimrra at least got his complete and utter attention before he made such comments. "Milord, I would have no way of knowing for I am no Warmaster but I would assume that Czulkang's natural insight tells him of something brewing where we cannot see it," Onimi answered.

"What does that secret power of yours tell you about whatever this something might be?" Shimrra inquired. "That it is very dangerous and may be capable of destroying enough of the Main Fleet to force us into a truce for our own survival if not complete defeat on our part," Onimi answered calmly. Indeed, this was what he had seen in a vision granted him by the Force not too long before this battle began but he couldn't quite put a finger on what might be the source of it all. Shimrra nodded and continued to view the screen that displayed before him and his Court Jester with content of that.

Onimi's prophecies never failed to come true but he was internally afraid that if this one did, it would mean shaming the Yuuzhan Vong. Worse, the people who did not participate in this war would have further reasons to lose respect and loyalty to Shimrra the Supreme Overlord. For how would they be able to forget that he was the one forced into a defeat that shattered his own idea of conquest? How would they be able to forget that by failing here, he would have insulted the greatest of all their deities?

The religious fanatics would use this as a protest against the rule of Shimrra and a need for someone like Shimrra's enemy Quoreal to take his place. Granted, Quoreal's conservative nature had cost him his throne and his life but there were those who still loved him for what he had done in his time. Adhering to tradition was never one of the specialties of Shimrra but he tried it whenever it suited his goals of complete domination over the entirety of the universe. However, the totality of adherence displayed by Quoreal was definitely not to be pursued due to the dangers Shimrra himself brought up.

Still, such was his gullibility as a result of finding the balance that someone like Onimi could very easily ensnare him with promises of grandeur. It was when Onimi had once again fallen victim to the distractions that came with the thought of having so successfully controlled Shimrra that the worst came. "What in the name of all the sacred gods is happening before my eyes?" Shimrra demanded immediately. Onimi was initially taken aback himself but then he saw that the ships comprising the Main Fleet were being destroyed from the inside, excluding Czulkang's personal cruiser.

So that's what these allies were up to and that's why Czulkang wanted to get his son to safety._ The enemy is destroying the ships and weakening the Main Fleet as much as possible before the arrival of their Chiss friends_ Onimi thought but didn't say. "Quite a formidable counterattack on the part of our enemies if you ask me, milord," he said aloud and calmly too. This was indeed an interesting twist in the story of the War in The Void but this didn't conclude it, not yet.

**Arden was pleased to** see that thirteen of the twenty-four enemy ships had already been destroyed under her plan with at least another seven on the way. Now, she saw the beginnings of a retaliation from the Yuuzhan Vong starfighters forming not too far away from her ship. The fighters landed in the hangar bay whenever they could and poured in squadron upon squadron of soldiers. "Depa, to the hangar bay: we have enemies to deal with now," Arden ordered to her apprentice.

The younger woman was quick to follow under the heels of her Mistress, who prepared for the upcoming fight by unsheathing her sword and then duplicating it with the scabbard. This way, she had two blades with which to fight the enemy and none of the handicaps of holding on to the scabbard. Depa ignited her own lightsaber as well, the orange blade hissing to life and surprising some of the nearby Yuuzhan Vong for most had probably never seen a lightsaber before. It was this sort of curious surprise that Arden was counting on to stall them until she had a plan of attack ready for them to bear.

Luckily, she was light on her feet physically and mentally, making it not too long before she began using energy-based attacks against her enemy. These includes crescent blades of energy cast from her swords which sliced the soldiers with almost the same effect as a lightsaber would have. The only difference was that it didn't come with the cauterization feature and thus, blood spilled everywhere. Depa was not too far behind, shooting spurts of fire from one hand and deflecting laserfire with her lightsaber in the other one.

Her skills in Vaapad caught the closest ones completely off guard and her use of pyrokinesis as well as Force lightning dealt with the rest of those in her path. Arden also used Force Powers unrelated to her blade such as Force Destruction and even Kinetite, sending waves of death almost everywhere. Depa tested Force Repulse and was surprised to see that it worked only for throwing Yuuzhan Vong away from her but not kill them in the process which cast Force Push aside for future use. Luckily for her, Arden encouraged this sort of planning since they had little knowledge of what killed their enemies.

"Mistress, Battle Meld!" Depa shouted. Arden nodded, figuring that perhaps now, it might be best to give it a shot and see if it stemmed the tide at all. It was worth a shot despite what they already knew about telepathy and telekinesis failing against the Yuuzhan Vong's immunity. Unfortunately, the effects of the Battle Meld were slight if present and the tide was soon turning more to defeat than not.

"Miladies, escape pods are available if you wish to take them out of this cruiser. Scanners indicate that Chiss Ascendancy-model scout fighters have just come out of hyperspace. It won't be long now before the rest of the fleet shows up and blasts everything to hell," Livy said, fighting with them. "Reserve it for us by any means necessary, we're getting out of here whether or not we have to slaughter a thousand of these scum in the process," Arden replied, nodding just before saying so.

"Mistress, perhaps a little something to throw them off may help us on our way out?" Depa suggested. Arden nodded and immediately positioned herself beside her apprentice for one massive wave of Kinetite energy that sent many Yuuzhan Vong flying and killed those caught in the center of it. "Good thinking, my apprentice and now for our escape off this ship and hopefully back to Admiral Thrawn," Arden said.

Smiling, Depa was pleased to see that her idea had made her Mistress proud for those few moments of pride truly motivated her more than anything since their time together began. Using her skills with a lightsaber, Depa made sure that no laser from the enemy harmed her or her Mistress. This helped them reach the escape pods without much hindrance but it was here where Livy froze in thought. "What is it, my friend?" Arden asked.

"I've got an idea for how I can help in this war beyond your escape but I don't think you'll like it," he answered. When Arden asked him to explain, he did by saying that he would take his cruiser and its remaining crew and pilot it right into the mothership on the Main Fleet. "Or at least one of the big ones closest to it... it's a suicidal run but an effective one, usually," he added calmly. _Skywalker did a similar thing on Ryloth once although he managed to escape before the cruiser exploded_ Depa thought.

"If you feel that is what's best for saving us and honoring your people's memory, you may go ahead and do so. I truly did wish to take you to where your homeworld was but it looks as though I will have to hand that knowledge over to the bounty hunting members of your people," Arden stated sadly. "Even they are far more honorable than most in that profession and deserve the knowledge just as much as we do. Do not fear for me or those who accompany me, we know the risks and we know them well; we always did from the moment you recruited us," Livy replied.

"Wield my husband's hammer and wield it well, my friend. He would be pleased to know that it is in the hands of someone capable," Arden said after a pause for silence. Livy nodded, smiling and thanking her for allowing him to do this in her name as well as Xendor's name and honor. "Time to abandon ship, my apprentice," Arden said.

Depa nodded, slipping into the escape pod after deflecting one last green bolt of the enemy fire, her Mistress following suit. The hatch shut closed until it was airtight and Livy, the last real leader of the Ember of Vahla, turned to face his enemy and begin his mission. Waiting until he heard the launching of the pod that carried his Mistresses to safety, wherever that may be, he held prepared for the final fight. After the rest of the survivors amongst his people joined him on the bridge, he made the final push to the controls and the start of his suicidal plan to help destroy the enemy forevermore.

**Admiral Thrawn couldn't believe** the incompetence of the Council that led the Chiss Ascendancy. First, they banished him to Irkalla for his willingness to violate the code if that was what it took to obtain victory. Then they take half of the resources he made for himself and employed it into their service for complete and total annihilation of whatever remained in the Void. Finally, they vowed to include even their own ships and the remainder of the Killiks in the process of their extermination there.

That, in itself, was a violation worse than anything he had done to warrant his own exile at their hands. But to ask the Admiral to represent them in making a truce with a high-ranking official of the Yuuzhan Vong afterwards made this treason absolutely unforgivable. His greatest hope now was that Arden and Depa could forgive him for having to abandon them despite his promise not to do that. After all, Depa's Force Choke could've killed him had Arden not spoken up, making him grateful to be alive.

He owed her a debt now that she had saved him from the wrath of her apprentice, a wrath he had once felt during the Outbound Flight Expedition at the hands of Jorus C'baoth. Now, as he helplessly watched the Armada assemble outside the Void, his fingers remained crossed for them. _Those two were my greatest triumphs out here in this desolate place, more than the Talisman would be_ he told himself with a mixture of sadness and happiness. It was a mixture that would linger...


	3. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

"Mistress, are we doing the right thing by allowing Livy and his people to be wiped out in exchange for victory? We've already lost the Sorcerers of Tund and if we lost the Vahla, it could mean the end of all of our plans," Depa asked. Arden had never really thought of that until after she and her apprentice had made their escape from their doomed cruiser and the Vahla still trapped in it. While she could admit that she honestly didn't think so, she wouldn't deny that it had to be done for their sake.

Livy wanted his people to go out with an honorable fight and Arden had vowed to honor his service by revealing the location of their homeworld to him and his people. Now all there would be left of the Vahla were the bounty hunters that had broken off from the culture for their own pursuits. However, Livy had mentioned that they were honorable people and would take kindly to knowledge of their homeland just as much as he would have had he lived to reap the benefit of it. "Apprentice, I didn't want to do it anymore than you did but in war, those sorts of choices often need to be made," she said.

"Where do we go now? This escape pod won't last much longer than a standard hour in the way of fuel and our oxygen will be out in another two, after that. Unless we're able to somehow use the Force to plot out our travel, we're not getting out of this alive," Depa inquired. Initially, Arden couldn't think of anything in response to that for her reluctance to use the Talisman had increased recently.

Despite its inviolable oath that it would never try to take possession or advantage of her again, she still didn't trust the spirit that dwelled within the artifact and gave it power. However, as the minutes slowly ticked on by, she began to realize that she would have no choice but to rely on it to save them. "Depa, do you remember how to go into a Trance thus conserving your energies for an abnormally long period of time?" Arden replied. "Yes Mistress, I do," Depa answered.

"Go ahead and go into a trance, I am going to see if the Talisman can create a shield that will ward off the worse effects of being trapped in space. I'll have it do so until someone has found us or we are arriving onto a planet that can support life," Arden requested. Depa nodded and began the inhalation and exhalation of air that was required to enter the Trance whilst Arden consulted the artifact._ Kashi Mer, I have need of your power to protect us from the worst of the effects sure to be felt if we remain in space until either someone has found us or we approach a life-supporting world_ Arden said, wasting no time in her consultation of the Talisman in her hands.

_That isn't beyond my power, I shall began creating the shield immediately. All you need do is join your apprentice in a trance whilst I apply my power to your protection. Be warned though, you can expect for you and your apprentice to become cryogenically frozen if trapped long enough_ it replied to her._ That's a risk I'm more than willing to take so long as we can escape the Ascendancy and return to gain our vengeance upon them for their treachery_ Arden stated.

The Talisman told her that it was beginning work now and thus, Arden joined her apprentice in a sleep not unlike the one she had been put into until a few months before. While that one lasted twenty-five thousand years, Arden doubted this would last even a tenth of that full length. Such a hibernation as her first one was almost one in a million and she was lucky to be alive at all after that. However, she got the impression that it was going to be a long while before they ever saw another lifeform again whether Chiss, Killik, Yuuzhan Vong, or something else; a worthy risk to take for them.

**Thrawn sat on a** chair next to his holoprojector in thought over the course that this battle had so quickly taken. First, it looked as though his victory against the Yuuzhan Vong would secure his permanent return into the Ascendancy then it turned into his defeat. The Ascendancy would now be taking credit for the victory that was supposed to be his and his alone to enjoy. Cunning little rats, the lot of them but no matter: they will pay soon enough for this insolence Thrawn thought.

Then he saw the most intriguing thing he could see for the day: thirteen of the enemy cruisers exploded in near-simultaneity. A few seconds later and seven more fell victim (excluding one damaged beyond any form of repair possible for them) to the very same thing that had killed off the first thirteen. That left only four ships, including the cruiser of the Warmaster, remaining in space which wasn't much for the Ascendancy to blast off. _This will still be very much my victory more than it will be the Ascendany's: they're just cleaning up what my allies have left behind_ he thought with a smile.

The will of the Force had been kind to him despite Depa's thwarted attempt to strike him down in her anger, almost too kind actually. But it didn't matter to the young Admiral who seldom ever received as great a kindness as this, not at the moment anyway. However, the beauty of it was that when the Ascendancy arrived to put their stamp on this victory, it would be mostly out of pride. They would not want to admit that one man had carried them to victory more than their combined might did.

It would also further their hubris to have this very man act as their diplomat in establishing terms with the Yuuzhan Vong enemy that they faced now. Brutish, shoddy, and elementary but such things had a purpose when they were used right though the amount of times that occurred was minimal at the best. And now, the Ascendancy's forerunners had arrived which meant that it was only a matter of time before the true destroyers arrived to finish the job Thrawn had started. Chuckling, he realized that even when they completely finished this war for all time, this was still his victory and he was proud of that.

**Programming the ship to** apply all power to the forward thrusters, Livy merely needed help steering the ship on the right course. "People of the Ember, before we die, remember that you have committed a great service in the name of the Mother. You have honored her ways and fought like the warriors you are to the end and now, as chief, I ask one last thing of you. Purge this ship of any remaining Yuuzhan Vong soldiers and prepare to martyr yourselves for Arden Lyn!" he exclaimed.

He was never good at speeches but that one was enough to rally his people into combat against the enemy. Then he thought it over and decided to put the ship on autopilot and help them exterminate the very enemy he had asked them to purge from the this cruiser. Using the hammer as a bludgeon initially, he then managed to harness some of the energy within it and channel it in fiery waves. Everywhere the hammer pointed, fire flew that destroyed all Yuuzhan Vong in its path whilst sparing the Ember of Vahla that might have been caught in its path.

_No wonder why my Northerner comrade loved this hammer so much: it has powers beyond anything I could imagine_ Livy thought but didn't say as he continued slamming it into skulls. One blow was enough to crush the faceplate of many Yuuzhan Vong's heads, squeezing their eyeballs and making blood erupt from within their throats. He also heard the nasal cartilage break and travel up their brain canals, killing them an instant before they fell to the ground. The ringing of the hammer contacting their skin was hardly needed to prove their death although it was a nice tune to hear.

The fire also worked for burning down enemies that were far enough away to avoid being hit by the hammer. _This is proving to be easier than I thought it would be, soon we'll be ready for the final stages of our plan_ Livy thought with an enthused smile. As he had foreseen, the Yuuzhan Vong on the ship were soon purged and enough Vahla remained to guide the ship towards its target. And the target was the last remaining escort-class cruiser that Yuuzhan Vong could throw at their cruiser.

Destroying it would benefit them for the most important reason of exposing the Warmaster cruiser to the Ascendancy when they finally arrived. Thus, their allies would be able to finish off what remained and either call a truce with the Yuuzhan Vong or wipe them out forevermore. Personally, Livy hoped for the latter but he was more than willing to accept the former if it absolutely came down to that. He was a man of absolutes more than anything and would continue to be that way in the final moments before his death, which he foresaw coming before his eyes.

**"What is that cruiser** doing?" Czulkang asked, thinking aloud for once. "Judging by the trajectory, sir, it appears as though it's headed straight for us. We'll never be able to maneuver out of the way and we can't blast it out of the space in time either," one of his officers answered. "And why not?" Czulkang inquired.

"Because even if we did, it's still so close it would actually be deadlier to shoot at it than not," the officer replied. "What can we do to stop it?" Czulkang asked after pausing for thought. "Our smaller ships wouldn't be able to stop it, only our escort class would be able to do that. Essentially, we'd have to sacrifice it in order to survive this," the officer told him, reluctant to admit it.

"Then do it," Czulkang ordered. The officer nodded and went to obey his master's will almost completely without question. "Oh, someone tell me: is my son still in the city like I asked him?" he added after pausing to see what he had forgotten. "Yes milord, Tsavong has not left the hangar bay on _Zhaetor-zhae a Shimrra_ since you ordered him to go there," another officer answered him. "Good, once this is over, order him to remain there and await my arrival: the Chiss Ascendancy has won," Czulkang said.

"Sir?" the first officer inquired. "War is one either through doing the most damage to the enemy or by stalling until they're no longer interested. The Chiss Ascendancy has managed to do the former even if the latter had been their original intent from the beginning. It's been an honor serving with you all and I hope that your souls shall join our brothers with the gods, honorably," Czulkang explained.

Then he left them to take charge until the end came: he would much rather join his son and be around in case the Ascendancy called for a truce than dead and floating in space._ Besides that, Shimrra cannot create truces worth a shit without that Jester of his at his side_ he added mentally. Czulkang Lah was a traditionalist and had initially not supported the transfer of power from Quoreal to Shimrra but had grown to somewhat accept it. Still, there were just some things he was unwilling to do even if ordered to and dying when it wasn't needed was not one of them.

**Thrawn watched as the** escort-class cruisers of the Chiss Ascendancy came out of hyperspace, followed by the more massive Destroyer-class ships they protected. The cannons on all the ships were ready to fire and Thrawn watched as they charged their shots before firing. He heard the comm channel buzz with life at the sound of officers asking their troops were ready and ordering them to fire. Then he braced himself for the result of all the power in all the shots that would be fired from the Chiss ships.

Having seen an escape pod escape from his cruiser earlier, he suspected Arden had gotten out alive with her apprentice. And when his cruiser was thrust into the escort-class cruiser of the enemy, he knew that this would most definitely be his victory for all time. _The Ascendancy just wants to say it's theirs for the history books to deliver to the future generations. Allow them this, no one would believe you anyway even if you made a convincing argument in your favor_ Thrawn thought silently.

After the explosion of the cruiser contacting the escort-class enemy ship, he watched as the lasers of the Ascendancy Fleet annihilated the rest. It was an impressive display of power but hardly befitting of only eliminating four ships in a single burst of energy. Nonetheless, it had done its work: the entire Main and Southwestern fleets of the Yuuzhan Vong were wiped out for good. Any other forces would easily be rallied and the Ascendancy could advance on the floating city if they desired to do so.

However, Thrawn knew better than to believe that they would and when Moses the head of the Ascendancy Council called again, he went to his shuttle. He was going to meet the Council in the Void for the truce meeting he was going to have with the representative of the Yuuzhan Vong. Hopefully, the Supreme Overlord himself came but Thrawn knew better than to count on the head of the pack coming. It would suffice to meet with someone close though, someone who could at least discuss diplomacy and have almost as much power as the Overlord.

**Czulkang had anticipated the** destruction of his ship and had to admit that he wasn't overtly emotional from it. In war, emotion was almost immediately forbidden except for when you were mourning those that had died in battle if they were your friends. But now, the Ascendancy was waving the flag of truce... they wanted a pact with the Yuuzhan Vong after nearly destroying them? Why was that, was it a trap designed for the Supreme Overlord and if so, should he go instead?

Technically it was his mess so he probably did have to go in the long run but he had to know why it was that they called a truce._ It's out of character for our enemy unless this was not his doing but the doing of someone superior to him_ Czulkang thought silently. "Commander, arrange an escort to accompany me and my son to the head of the Ascendancy fleet. Apparently they want a truce with us after all these years fighting and managing to wipe out our fleets," he ordered aloud.

"Yes sir, it shall be done," the Commander he spoke to answered. "Father, you wish me to attend a committee meeting with the enemy? You know I don't do well in long talks," Tsavong asked. "True but you do well when you're fighting and I need your skills there if it's a trap, I hope that isn't too much to ask of you?" Czulkang answered.

Tsavong smiled, knowing his father was right to have him come along in case it was a trap designed to ensnare the Supreme Overlord._ He is confident that my skills can carry us through with the help of the escort soldiers. At last, I've obtained some more respect from my father_ he said to himself. Readying his amphistaff, he told his father that he was ready to go with him when his escort was ready to join them on the journey to the meeting.

**"Good news Mitth'raw'nuruodo:** you won't be meeting the treacherous Supreme Overlord. However, you will be meeting the man who has commanded their forces since the war again. He is Warmaster Czulkang Lah and unlike his son, Tsavong, he has been blessed real with diplomatic skills. Your only fear shall be provoking his son and the escort he will surely have to fight against us for some reason," Moses explained when he arrived.

"Dispense with the mockery and take me to the rendezvous point if one has already been designated for us," Thrawn replied. He had no love for Moses and didn't hesitate to prove it now nor at any other time he had a chance to do so. "You're already at the designated point: Czulkang, his son, and his escort will be boarding our ship and meeting you in the Council Chambers," Moses stated. _At least he's quick about something other than waving his weight around at me_ Thrawn thought.

And indeed, Moses was the most grotesque Chiss that Thrawn or anyone else could imagine seeing: he was at least four-hundred pounds of pure fat with a massive goiter in his neck. The other Council members were similarly fat and incompetent though none had Moses' goiter. "Why don't you speak with Czulkang and Tsavong, I'm sure they would love to meet the head of our people?" Thrawn asked. "Do not mock me further Mitth'raw'nuruodo or you will pay the consequences for it," Moses answered.

Thrawn half-smiled, proud that he had done his work in making Moses irrational and angry in his thoughts._ It will be most useful should he decide to attack me during negotiations or have an assassin do it_Thrawn thought to himself, enjoying the idea it brought. Proceeding to the chambers, Thrawn sat down on what would be his side of the table and waited for Czulkang and his son to come. Negotiating with the Yuuzhan Vong, he realized, would be an exciting new thing that he had never done before.

**Inserting a tizowyrm into** his ear and doing the same for his son, Czulkang knew he was prepared to speak to whoever represented the Chiss Ascendancy in negotiations. "Why do we need these, father?" Tsavong asked. "Without them, we have no ability to interpret or speak the enemy tongue unless we learn it," Czulkang answered. Tsavong nodded and looked a little surprised that the insects had such beneficial uses for his people, apparently they weren't highlighted in school.

"In that case, now that we have our interpreters, let's be on our way to the negotiations," Tsavong stated proudly. "This will require no short amount of tact, grace, and subtlety which is why you will leave the talking to me as much as possible," Czulkang warned. Tsavong bowed, understanding his father's intent and vowing to obey to the best of his ability, no more than that needing to be asked.

Using a gunship, the two of them traversed across the space needing to be conquered in order to reach the head of the Chiss Ascendancy Main Fleet. Arriving aboard the ship, he was immediately surprised by the lack of droids present in the facility, an unusual sight._ That Jedi woman Vergere had mentioned that this galaxy had a heavy reliance on droids for most of their laborious deeds. I wonder if the Chiss do their own labor with their own hands whenever possible and not with aid_ he thought.

"A battalion, father," Tsavong said. Czulkang came out of his thoughts and noticed a Chiss Ascendancy battalion approaching and greeted the officer in charge. "We have been expecting you, Warmaster Lah. Admiral Thrawn is waiting for you in the Council Chambers," the officer stated calmly. Then he gestured with his head and led Czulkang and Tsavong down a hallway that guided them to these 'Council Chambers' that the officer spoke of.

Behind him, the escort soldiers began making a circular formation to protect him and Tsavong in case the Chiss were up to no good. "That won't be necessary men, just cover our flanks for now," he ordered. They obeyed his orders but it wasn't very long before they arrived at the rather unimpressive Council Chambers that the officer had mentioned earlier. "Greetings Warmaster Lah, I am Admiral Thrawn of the Chiss Ascendancy and I have been your adversary in this war," a man in white stated.

"Admiral Thrawn, I must say that it is a rare honor for a man like me to meet my adversary on diplomatic terms. In the past, I have only met my enemies long enough to kill them but then, there is still room in my life for 'first times'. Before we continue further, I'd like to introduce my son Tsavong the heir to my power and a very fine warrior," Czulkang replied, pointing to his whilst introducing him.

Tsavong bowed as per formal custom and said that it was an honor to meet the man who had most troubled his father during the war. "Ha, your father's cunning has caught me off guard far more than I have ever had happen with anyone else. Perhaps, he is the most respectable opponent that I have ever faced," Thrawn replied, chuckling. "Thank you and now, if you have no other formalities to dispense, I would like to bring the negotiations underway," Czulkang requested.

"I am a man of few formalities and I have dispersed all I have already, it would appear you have done the same. Formalities aside, let us begin the negotiations for future Chiss-Yuuzhan Vong interactions," Thrawn agreed. Tsavong watched intently as Czulkang and Thrawn thought over agreeable terms. He wondered if the Supreme Overlord Shimrra or Intendant Anor could do any better than his father was already doing.

_Nom Anor is all about talk, negotiations, business sense, and such other things. But I wonder if he would be any good for this_ Tsavong thought. Crossing his arms, he continued to watch the debate before his eyes. It was history in the making and he would not miss a word of it, not now.


	4. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

"Despite the Main Fleet being utterly annihilated, I'm amazed Czulkang came out of it alive to negotiate with the enemy now," Shimrra stated. "Perhaps he deliberately designed the Fleet for destruction so that the war could finally end. Even the most bloodthirsty Warmaster can drink his fill and perhaps, Czulkang has finally drank his," Onimi explained. "You defend him and yet he has given you no respect to warrant it, why?" Shimrra asked.

"I do not defend him, milord. However, there is no denying that everyone tires of everything they like one way or the other, no matter how long it takes," Onimi replied. "I guess you're right about that but it still doesn't explain why he brought his son along with him if he anticipated this," Shimrra said. "Indeed not, milord but I would be willing to bet that Czulkang did so for academic purposes as has been typical of him," Onimi admitted.

"The very fact that he brings his son into such a dangerous war zone even if for academic purposes is idiotic on anyone's part. That would go to include Warmaster Czulkang Lah, endangering Tsavong like that," Shimrra hissed. "No, not endangerment but custom: the son of a Warmaster is always introduced to war in as observatory of a matter as possible. If he can get him so that he can watch the war from a few yards away, he will and that is the way it's been," Onimi explained.

He was surprised by his own knowledge of the customs of the caste but then he did have to know these things in order to better control the Supreme Overlord. After all, if he said one thing that Shimrra and Onimi both knew to be wrong then the Jester could expect to be called out on it. _Nonetheless, there are moments where_ _Shimrra gives me trouble even so though I wonder why_ Onimi thought silently. "So you are defending him despite his disrespect towards you even if you are saying that you're not doing it," Shimrra stated.

"As I said before milord, I do not defend him: in his place, who knows how long it would take you to gorge yourself on blood. In his place, I know it would be almost impossible for me to do the same even if the Main Fleet was destroyed before my eyes," Onimi said, shaking his head. _Why he thinks I have any respect for that man just because of my comment is beyond me_ Onimi thought. "Interesting that you should say that about both yourself and me however, I now say that your view does not punish or reward one particular person; not for long anyway," Shimrra said.

"Finally milord understands why I am polite and formal to anyone and everyone besides the Code ordering me to be," Onimi stated. He has some sense at least and doesn't need much persuasion to be made docile again the Jester thought silently. After that little discussion, Onimi decided to retire to his headquarters whilst his lord continued to carry out his duties. He had done enough controlling and puppetry for one day but he would return to it tomorrow as he always did.

**Arden Lyn had floated** off into the Trance but it wasn't long before the Talisman had shielded them away from the worst of the Void's effects on her body. But soon after doing so, the Talisman began to run visions into Arden's head, visions of things she had never known. It mainly concerned what had happened with her family when she joined Xendor's Legions of Lettow. The Talisman also showed some memories of her childhood from before she had met Xendor and fallen in love with him.

But she something she knew was from her past but was not a memory of hers: she saw her mother giving birth to a child that wasn't her. She saw a faceless figure she knew to be her father looking down at her, likely in disgust considering the circumstances of Arden's mother's death. The poor woman had died giving birth to a bastard child of one of her clients for she had been a prostitute. Whores were some of the most patronized women in a society that had already proven very patriarchal and was in favor of the man being in control.

_Animals and violators, all of them except for Xendor. He never betrayed my trust and took me against my own will Arden told herself. But how often did he wish he could, I wonder hm?_ Kashi Mer asked. _Very often, guilty as charged, but he never did take me without consent_ Arden answered.

As she slept, the Talisman continued to show her many things from her past that had occurred in unity with her own deeds in that forgotten time. _Why do you show me all this that is long since dead and gone?_ Arden asked. _When you are close to death, you will understand why I do this_ Kashi Mer answered. Mentally, Arden shook her head and had to admit that the Talisman had a mysterious way of doing things that she wondered was a result of being able to use the Force to see anything.

Sensing that Depa was just as relaxed as her, she wondered if she could somehow find the mechanism that allowed others to trigger a similar trance. Within that, perhaps she could find the secret to becoming immune to such spells so that they cannot do it again. For twenty-five thousand years, she had laid dormant in a similar spell to this and was not about to go through it again if it was avoidable. Additionally, to make it all more interesting, she would teach her apprentice the same thing since she too had been in a spell not unlike what Arden herself had experienced.

Arden also noticed that her apprentice was gifted in telepathy and could communicate to her through her mind if either one had a question for the other._ I wonder if we could play a game in the mind so that even if our bodies are in a trance, our minds aren't bored_ she asked herself silently._ Please don't try to distract me with that, you'll make me drop out of the trance accidentally_ she heard her apprentice say in her head. Smiling literally, Arden admitted that her apprentice's abilities sometimes surprised even her and made her wonder why they weren't already equals.

But Arden reminded herself that there was still much of the true nature of the Dark Side that Depa had yet to learn. She was surprised by her own knowledge of her secrets and she wondered if the Talisman secretly delivered much of this knowledge into her head, subtly influencing her current mindset. It was manipulation of a somewhat cunning sort but Arden knew she couldn't have learned everything from Xendor. He had been killed before even he could discover all the secrets that the Talisman somehow knew already; whether that was influenced by the creator or not would always be a mystery.

**"In my land, truce** terms were often based on the winner dominating for their own benefit and not the benefit of the defeat. Since you defeated me, I allow you to propose terms that work to your benefit and yours alone," Czulkang stated. "And disrespect my greatest adversary's good name so shamelessly? Nay, I will do no such thing but I will propose terms that might be beneficial to us all," Thrawn replied.

"Name your terms then," Czulkang stated, interested in what Thrawn could possibly offer him. "Firstly, the Yuuzhan Vong are not to engage any part of this galaxy for forty years. At the current rate of destruction, any military engagement would see the complete annihilation of all your great people. Since I don't want that, I want you to have time to regrow your numbers before you fight again," Thrawn began.

"You have my interest, continue," Czulkang said, leaning his face into his crossed hands in thought. Tsavong was a little surprised that his father would find these strange terms interesting and made note of it for later. "Next, if there is to be any contact between the Yuuzhan Vong and the Chiss Ascendancy as well as the Killiks, it should be as an act of commerce. You import resources from food to medicine that is uniquely of your people and we will do the same, forming an alliance," Thrawn said.

_An alliance with enemies? This would never have been what I would do but let's see if father agrees to it_ Tsavong thought. "Custom forbids me from providing you literal resources but our people are allowed to provide you knowledge of our culture should any of you wish to join us. I promise that that is as best as you can get to having a mutually beneficial relationship with us," Czulkang said.

"Very well then, let it be written and perhaps it would be best that we provide only knowledge in case some of your own people wish to join us as well," Thrawn replied, shrugging as a yield. Tsavong smiled, proud that his father would not forsake one of the most important traditions of their people. That tradition was to never share anything uniquely theirs except for knowledge with an Infidel like Thrawn. "Is there anything else that you wish of me, Admiral Thrawn?" Czulkang inquired after a moment to think over what they had covered so far.

"If it isn't impossible, I would like your Supreme Overlord to make yearly visits to the Chiss Ascendancy Council in order to make sure that terms are being followed through. It would, after all, insure that there is no future warring whilst the forty years are in effect," Thrawn suggested. "Unfortunately, the Supreme Overlord is not allowed to leave his city but we can have Intendant Anor do that," Czulkang replied. "Very well, Intendant Nom Anor will be the one to insure that terms are being met on our front every year," Thrawn said, again yielding although a little more irritated this time.

_I wonder why he has such desire to meet the Supreme Overlord, is it to assassinate him with the help of his own people? Is it so he can hold us liable if we violate the terms?_ Tsavong asked himself with a raised eyebrow. "You have been most generous Admiral Thrawn, more so than I expected but hear this: if Intendant Thrawn is to visit your people, we demand an exchange," Czulkang said.

"An exchange?" Thrawn inquired. "An equivalent to Intendant Anor must also visit our people every year to insure terms are being met on our front. That way, if both officers are on opposite sides, one can hold the other hostage to punish the violating side," Czulkang explained. "Ah, of course, I will see if I can get one of the Council members to do that but I can do it if need be," Thrawn stated.

"Very well, I shall await your response when the decision of who will represent your people is made," Czulkang added. Thrawn nodded, bowing in respect after doing so, more than willing to accept those terms as they presently were. "Is there anything else that you would like to suggest to me as I have nothing else to suggest to you?" Thrawn asked after a moment. Czulkang turned to his son to see if Tsavong could think of anything else that would work to the benefit of both of the warring sides.

At first, Tsavong had nothing to offer but then it occurred to him that Arden Lyn and possibly her apprentice were floating in the middle of space somewhere. Before being killed, one of his spies had reported seeing two women in black launching an escape pod from the ship, floating off into the Void. "There is one thing that can be added: we are, after all, intending to start a semi-commercial relationship for the betterment of our people, neh?" Tsavong asked. "State your proposal, I'm interested," Thrawn answered.

"Let the Yuuzhan Vong be allowed lenience to search for survivors in the wreckage or people who can be revived with medical help. We will allow the Chiss and any Killiks the same privilege in return for this right on our part," Tsavong explained. _A convenient opportunity, perhaps there is still time to rescue Arden and Depa before they float off beyond my sight_ Thrawn thought. "What an excellent idea, let it be added to the treaty of the Yuuzhan Vong and the Chiss Ascendancy," he replied.

Smiling and nodding, Czulkang acknowledged his son's gesture for approval from his comment about search parties. "Anything else besides what your son has offered, Czulkang?" Thrawn asked. The Warmaster looked around the ship, thinking as to whether or not there was indeed anything else. Then he shook his head and rose to his feet, extending a hand to Thrawn in thanks for the discussion.

"It was a most enlightening insight into the ways of your people and if everyone of them were as respectable as you, I would be happier with my defeat than I already am," he added. "It was a pleasure and I wish long life for you and your son," Thrawn replied in agreement. "I have already lived more years than I wish to brag off to you but you may wish long life to my son," Czulkang stated. "An honor and a privilege to meet you both, regardless however, would either of you like some wine before you leave?" Thrawn asked.

"No, have it for yourself if you wish but we have less of a tolerance for alcohol than virtually any species you can name both physically and mentally," Czulkang said, extending his palm out in rejection. "A pity that is so but not everything can go smoothly I suppose," Thrawn stated. "Long life to you, mighty Admiral," Czulkang said with a bow before leaving and ordering his men to do the same._ Czulkang is gifted with diplomatic abilities but his son is also very cunning in his own right, I must watch out if I do not wish to be fighting either one of them again_ Thrawn told himself.

**"The war is over,** peace has been established with the enemy, and now we begin to rebuild," Onimi said. "Of all the Warmasters respected by the people, I hate Czulkang the most," Shimrra stated. "Why?" Onimi asked. "Because he has the tendency to be the most out of character for a Warmaster, something that's always irritated me about him," Shimrra answered.

"He is not a traditionalist just as you are not and yet you are irritated at a man with a line of thought not completely unlike your own?" Onimi inquired. This was a surprise to him but he wondered if being an anti-traditionalist sometimes came at the price of lashing out at their fellow anti-traditionalists. _Ironic that they can vow to stand united against their traditionalist foes when need be yet turn on each other after the fighting is over or is 'hypocritical' the correct word to describe this speech?_ _After all, the anti-traditionalists vow to stand together against a divided enemy yet divide each other still_ Onimi thought to himself.

"I guess you could say that the differences we noticed in each other early on were too great for us to ever truly get along," Shimrra explained. "That should be no reason to hate him unless he insulted you during the notice of your differences," Onimi suggested. "I have my reasons, be content with that, Court Jester!" Shimrra hissed, using the rank to patronize him. I think perhaps I will, you will be needing some independence to be an even better pawn Onimi thought to himself.

But this wasn't over, not just yet: they would still need to know what terms Warmaster Czulkang Lah had agreed to with the enemy. If they hindered the future of the people in any way, he would need to be dealt with. Even if Czulkang had preached change, he would never dare go as far as to demand a complete reconstruction of their culture from the root up. It was out of character for even him thought perhaps it wasn't beyond the likings of Intendant Nom Anor, the ultimate enemy of Shimrra.

Onimi knew he need to figure something out about what to do with him but he couldn't quite put his finger on what could be done. _He is far too cunning to fall for any of the traps that would normally ensnare his fellow officers. I need a damning piece of information about him and his background in order to even stand a chance of beating him down without retribution. Intendants reserve the right to do that even to the Supreme Overlord if they desired it to be so_ he thought.

**Nom Anor received his** news faster than most of his caste did, his means allowed him to meet the ends if needed. However, he was surprised at how long it took for news of the outcome of the war to be delivered and even more so when he heard of the defeat. If Czulkang is wise, he will have either arranged a means by which we can find Arden or he will have encouraged his son to he thought. Though Tsavong wasn't as cunning a man as his father was, he could still turn out to be very effective with the proper motivation from time to time.

When Czulkang and Tsavong returned from establishing the truce, Anor immediately demanded an audience with them, knowing better than to wait for Shimrra to snatch them up first. "What is our situation?" Nom asked. "The Main Fleet and the southwesterners have been destroyed to the last man and all remaining forces have been ordered to withdraw. I have made peace with Admiral Thrawn and the future nature of our relationship with him shall be semi-commercial," Czulkang answered calmly.

"And what of the girl!?" Nom demanded almost immediately, his vow to not let her go still strong. "I have already requested leniency between the Chiss and the Yuuzhan Vong to search the wreckage of the battle for survival, the request was granted," Tsavong interjected. Nom calmed a little bit at that and asked him what other terms had been established with the Chiss Admiral. "I have also put in a request that a Chiss Ascendancy Councilman be sent to make sure we are delivering on terms.

"The most prominent of these terms being that we do not hold any of Thrawn's people that are unwilling to be held. Same thing goes for them so that we are equally liable for holding hostages if caught doing it. We are also to never again engage in military combat with the enemy galaxy for forty years, plenty of time for us to regenerate our numbers and kill them off anyway. However, I am confident that that doesn't mean life in our people cannot go on as with them," Czulkang explained.

_Good, he and Tsavong have done well for our people more than Shimrra and his pathetic Court Jester ever would_ Anor thought. He asked himself why he cared about a mere Jester so much but something about that man just disturbed him right now. So close to the ear of the Overlord, Onimi could whisper anything into Shimrra's ear and have it possibly be considered true by him. "These all sound like very fine terms, when do the search parties start their searches for survivors?" he inquired.

"I have already put in the request for search parties to search the rabble for any survivors, hopefully they will begin immediately and we will get lucky. The Arden Lyn girl is just as essential to me as she is to you though I wonder what your reasoning is for her," Czulkang replied. "Don't you remember what I showed you?" Nom asked with a smile. "You can't be serious!" Czulkang exclaimed after a moment to think about it.

"I am: if anyone can heal Quoreal's mind, it's her and possibly her apprentice, I need them both alive at least until then. Perhaps, I can bargain their freedom for it if I decide I want to hold them for longer than I would be allowed but didn't want to violate the treaty. Throw in the assassination or intimidation of Onimi in there for good measure," Nom said, nodding to Czulkang. "But what end would that serve?" Tsavong interrupted.

"You will know in time, should it come down to it, you will know," Nom Anor promised. "I don't like the sound of that, father," Tsavong warned. "Neither do I, my boy, neither do I," Czulkang admitted. "There is one reason why I want her besides the possibility of her power: I have been experimenting with human psychology with some of the slaves Vergere managed to bring me.

"I have been unable to find any conclusive data in any of my experiments but perhaps she can help. After all, I have only experimented with men and I have learned that women tend to be the more emotional ones. Granted, that isn't always the case (there are some men that are so emotional that they're unbelievably annoying) but that is often a general assumption. At least, that's the general conclusion I've had as a result of my experiments and not the overall development of humans," he explained.

"And you wish to know the emotions of human beings, because?" Tsavong inquired. "I think you'll find it very interesting if I took you to see them," Nom replied with a smile that ended the talk.


	5. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Onimi was deep in thought, as he had been since the war ended, the terms of the truce still sometimes troubling him. Apparently it still troubled Shimrra as well considering the way he paced across the throne room even now that much time had passed since the war ended. "Fifteen times, Nom Anor and Thrawn have made their annual visits and not a single interesting thing has come of it!" he shouted. "Peace is the most interesting thing you can get out of a treaty like this," Onimi replied.

"So I am supposed to be bored for twenty-five more years before I can finally take revenge against the Chiss Ascendancy! How am I supposed to be the prestigious Supreme Overlord when I cannot even destroy my greatest enemy ever?" Shimrra asked. "Sometimes, being the greatest Supreme Overlord does not mean destroying all your enemies. Rather, sometimes, a great Overlord shows respect to an enemy especially when they've managed to defeat him," Onimi answered.

"And you would know about these sorts of things because?" Shimrra asked, suspiciously. "Let's just say that sometimes, the Court Jester is required to know these things in order to entertain the castes. After all, I can't entertain an Intendant if I know only the tricks to entertaining a Warmaster during a trial," Onimi answered. Shimrra sneered and continued to pace around the chambers, wondering what he was supposed to do about Czulkang's rebellions against his reign.

"You are by no means as competent an Overlord as some of your predecessors, perhaps not even as much as your predecessor. At least Quoreal was cautious before going into any battles that might bring us great casualties. Especially when he was tempted to go out to battle in his anger, the emotion blinding his rationale. The first rule of the Warmaster is not to allow emotion to blind you to the truth of an outcome," Czulkang had added.

"And yet you did that when your son was with you in the Main Fleet?" Shimrra had inquired. "In actuality, I was not blinded by emotion when I chose to protect my son: I was actually showing him that there was a place for emotion so long as it doesn't blind you," Czulkang had replied. Shimrra had given up at that point and allowed Czulkang to get away with his pathetic foolishness if he wished. But now, Tsavong was grown up and had his own ship with a crew and soldiers to command.

It was just a matter of time before Tsavong claimed all the power needed to be a Warmaster like his father. When that happened, Shimrra wasn't sure if he could stand two Warmaster Lahs roaming out and about. To be fair though, Onimi wasn't feeling much better about it than his Overlord was either. It was bad enough that Nom Anor still had mysterious interests but the fact the the Lah family were similar was also incredibly annoying to him.

**From the bridge of** his eight-year-old cruiser, Tsavong peered into the Void, amazed that fifteen years had already passed since the war ended. Fifteen years had passed since he had met the mysterious woman Arden Lyn who defeated him in single combat. Yet it had also been fifteen years since he had begun his search for her, finding other survivors in the process though never finding her. Why I haven't given up after all this time, I have no idea he thought to himself as he slowly walked across the ship.

He had a few ideas as to why he hadn't given up yet though: she was the only one to have ever defeated him in single combat. She had impressed him more than any fighter and when he begged her to take his life, she refused and let him go back home instead. Now, she was floating in space somewhere with her apprentice being the only one accompanying her if anyone did. _What is it about what that woman has done for me that intrigues me and anyone that knows the story so much?_ he thought.

Even the suggestions that he had considered and reconsidered again and again these past fifteen years didn't seem to compensate for his lack of understanding or even fill it. Under the guise of a regular search for survivors that might have been preserved by the cold of space, he searched for her alone. And just when it looked like he was finally about to give up after fifteen years, his father and Anor both having moved on to other things since, fortune seemed to smile upon his search. "Sir, we have just found a Chiss-designed escape pod floating in the middle of some debris," a soldier said.

"I presume there's a reason you bothered me about this?" Tsavong asked. "Yes sir, there are two lifeforms in there and both of them have black robes though one has a lightsaber. The other one has a sheathed sword, crescent in shape but it looks just as deadly," the soldier answered. _A crescent blade, that's exactly what Arden Lyn used against me though I'm not sure why the other has a lightsaber_ he thought to himself.

"Prepare for a boarding party, wait until I arrive to lead them and then I'll cut the pod open for extraction. Be careful with carrying them out, they made be frozen and fragile as a result," Tsavong ordered. "I shall order the troops to do that as soon as we arrive and you open the way, milord," the trooper said with a bow. It wasn't long before they were on their way nor long before Tsavong had managed to trap the escape pod in the hull of the ship and cut a door into it with the amphistaff laser.

Walking in, he immediately recognized the woman who clung to the sheathed sword to be Arden Lyn though he didn't know who the other, with the lightsaber, was. He had a funny feeling that he would find out once the ice from the coldness of space melted away and they were revived from sleep. What kind of power was it that kept Arden just as youthful as she had been when they first met? Could it be more of that Force power that apparently, Onimi had as well?

_Whatever this power is, it most certainly is fascinating. No wonder why Nom Anor has an interest in her more than my father does. Forget what he said about understanding human emotion, this is far too interesting to ignore_ Tsavong thought to himself. "Careful you idiots and pick up their weapons too!" he shouted aloud when he noticed the sword and saber fall to the ground.

A minor servant quickly picked up both weapons and carried them as though he was holding jewels in his hand instead. Tsavong smiled, knowing that this scout knew his place fully well, something he was normally proud and acknowledge. However, there was no time for such formalities with the discovery of a lifetime. "Place them in the infirmary and notify me when one or both of them awaken," he demanded before marching off.

He would tell his father and Nom Anor that he had found Arden Lyn after fifteen years of searching. The looks on their faces when he did almost took care of themselves and a smile landed itself on his face. But first, he would make sure they got proper treatment for any wounds or scars they possessed from the battle. Fortunately though, he found none and had a strange feeling that Arden would be the first of them to reawaken.

He wasn't sure why but he felt like the other woman didn't radiate with the same power Arden did. An untrained eye might have blamed it on both of them being in a deep slumber but Tsavong knew better than that. Even in slumber, Arden beared an aura of power and tragedy that though also beared by the other was not nearly as strong in her._ Time will tell whether or not my feelings are wrong, time and her revival shall do the trick_ Tsavong vowed to himself before leaving them in the infirmary.

**Arden felt slight movements,** all of which added to the sensation of being lifted up by familiar hands and arms. _What's happening, Kashi Mer?_ she asked the Talisman. _You've been found dear lady, you and Depa may come out of the Trance now_ the voice in the artifact replied. Arden mentally smiled, glad that someone found them and that they would soon be having no need of the Trance.

_Help me out of the Trance until I'm in a regular sleep and do the same for Depa that way we can both wake up_ she added to the Talisman._ I'm one step ahead of you: I've already done it for you and am proceeding to do the same for your apprentice. She'll be a little longer in the reawakening but it won't be difficult to get her there_ the voice replied. It was then, as if to see if Kashi Mer was telling the truth, that Arden willed herself to reawaken from her slumber.

The first thing she came to realize was that her head ached as though someone had gone up her nose and stuck several lightsabers up there while she was asleep. That was followed by a near blinding pain in her eyes from opening them up and exposing them to the lights surrounding her. Shaking her head to get over it and rubbing her eyes, she managed to see that she was an infirmary of sorts. Turning her head to the left, she noticed Depa still blissfully away in the trance and Arden reached out to her.

Calling her name in a whisper while doing so, Arden was cut short of reaching her apprentice when a door opened and several figures walked through. "Ah there she is, alive and well. You remember me do you not, Arden Lyn?" the leading one asked. It took her a moment since her vision was still hazy but when it cleared, she recognized the Yuuzhan Vong Tsavong Lah addressing her.

"How could I forget a face like that, young man?" she replied, surprised to see him in something a little more glamorous than she remembered. "Excellent and now, if you can, I wish you to stand up and try walking around. You've been out for a very long while and I want to get you on the recuperation path as soon as I possibly can," Tsavong stated. Arden nodded and as she proceeded to obey his request, she asked how long she and Depa had been out floating in space.

"You do not want to be knowing that information yet, it will be revealed to you in good time," he answered. "How long were we out there? I will not ask you a third time," she demanded. Her legs were a little wobbly but other than that, she could walk just fine considering what it could have been.

His hesitant look told her that she and Depa had been out for a while but she demanded a number in order to be satisfied with the answer to her question. "You've been in some kind of trance, floating in that escape pod of yours for fifteen years. The two of you should be thankful that my crew found you at all, a few more days or so and you would have been floating for eternity," he said at last. Then he turned, vowing to fill her in on what happened since her disappearance at a later date, and left her to be alone in the infirmary.

_Fifteen years? We were out in the cold grasp of the Void of the Universe for fifteen years and not a single Chiss emissary found us in that time? It's thanks to Tsavong and the Yuuzhan Vong that we are emerging out of our trances now?_ she asked herself, amazed by this revelation. Actually, she was beginning to wish she had not pushed Tsavong into revealing the secret of the time that passed.

She looked around, noticing that her sword was not in her hand like she last remembered it being but was thankful to find it on a table next to her bed. _Any fool who wanted to make money from Admiral Thrawn would have taken it and kept it for himself while I was asleep_ she thought. Smiling, she reclaimed it, glad to see that the old feeling of wrapping her hand around it was still as good as she remembered. "You are lucky I ordered my men to leave your weapons at your side, a couple soldiers were eyeing your sword and your friend's lightsaber, beautiful weapons both," Tsavong said.

"What's become of you since we met that fateful day where I spared your life when you should have been killed?" she asked. "I've become a Warmaster just like my father and command my own section of the Yuuzhan Vong army. Speaking of which, we have mostly only forces confined to our city though we have a few rebuilt ships from the Main Fleet you destroyed with help," he started calmly. "Wait, what help?" she demanded.

"The Chiss Ascendancy came after you had already destroyed most of our ships and escaped, finishing the job you started in the process," he replied. "So there are no other survivors besides us?" she asked. "A few Chiss here and there during the first searches but none of your Vahla and Sorcerers survived, no," he answered, shaking his head as he said it. "And what of Thrawn?" she requested, her hand clenching her sword since her desire to pay him back for abandoning them renewing.

"He and my father made a truce to never engage in military combat again for forty years, that we were each to search for survivors like yourself, and turn over those who didn't want to stay with us. None of the Chiss wanted to remain with our people so we let them return to theirs and when their officers found some of ours, they were returned to us without question on their consent. We have also allowed our peoples to travel between each other and obtain cultural information upon request. Chiss educators have taken what we've given them and added to the history books as have our teachers," he explained.

_So the Chiss defeated the Yuuzhan Vong and could've easily wiped them out yet they chose to make peace with them instead? Admirable, stupid but admirable_ she thought to herself. Slight moaning turned Arden's attention back to Depa and Tsavong stated that she was beginning to stir at last. "I will see to her awakening but stay here, she will need to be introduced to our rescuer and the sooner that happens, the better," she said.

"Then I shall hold my place until you are ready for me, milady," he replied with a smile. Arden went back over to Depa's bed just in time for her to wake up swinging a hand and shooting flames. "Be at peace apprentice, be at peace, you're safe," Arden said immediately. "What... what happened?" Depa asked.

"Our escape pod was discovered by the Yuuzhan Vong and we're in the care of Warmaster Tsavong Lah," Arden answered. Depa looked like she wanted to destroy the place utterly from the paleness of her face and the exposure of the veins on her forehead. Instead she merely asked, "Are we prisoners?" Arden looked to Tsavong for the answer and he assured both women that they were not hostages that would not be held against their will.

"But let me ask you two this question: why would you want to go back to where there was nothing but betrayal and hatred for the two of you? It's even worse from the news that Thrawn gave us now more than ever," he added. Arden and Depa gave each other a look that exchanged more in less time than words ever could in the time they would take. "If we were to go back, it would be rebel against those who cause the strife and bring freedom to the peoples of the galaxy.

"We would be the heroines that the Jedi never could be even if our means are not the same," Arden answered. "Then you will be needing a place to start with and I think my father and Intendant Nom Anor will be taking over from here. I have already arranged accommodations for your stay here and seen to it that it's within range of my personal headquarters should you need anything of me," he said. "Why are you being so generous to the two of us, beings you consider inferior to your people?" Depa asked.

"I am not like my foolish people: I respect those who defeat me and adapt my philosophies accordingly. That is what your Mistress taught me to do when we met in combat fifteen years ago on Irkalla and she gave me my life instead of killing me," Tsavong answered before introducing himself. "You fought him, Mistress?" Depa asked. "I will not deny that we met in combat, he crash landed on Irkalla during one of the engagements between forces and Thrawn wanted me to bring him alive," Arden began.

"Instead of taking me to Admiral Thrawn, she told me to go back into the gunship and leave the planet before the blockade closed again. I obeyed though I wondered why she chose to give me that chance rather than capture me for Thrawn," Tsavong interrupted. "The reason I told you to leave was because I found it dishonorable that Thrawn would want to capture someone like you. In the time that I come from, capture was the greatest offense that a soldier could allow himself to have happen, after all," Arden added.

"That is something you can tell me about another time but unfortunately, I have to turn you over to Intendant Anor as soon as you're fit to travel. You do have the strength to stand for travel, do you not?" Tsavong inquired. Both women nodded and told him that they were ready whenever he was ready. "I shall order for a ship to take you both to Shimrra's city where you will meet my father in the hangar bay, he's returned from a board meeting with the Chiss and has agreed to meet you," he said.

And just like that, Tsavong was gone again though Arden had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time she saw him. The respect he had for her abilities as a fighter and as a person were proof of that being the case. However, she wondered what she could consider her new goal in life besides justice in the galaxy that saw her birth. Was there truly something she could do here or was Tsavong saying this out of respect for her... only time would tell which was the truth.

**When Intendant Anor heard** the news that Tsavong had found two women in black, he knew immediately that at least one of them had to be Arden Lyn. _No women, regardless of the species, walks around dressed from head to toe in black except in mourning or cultural obedience. And I highly doubt that it was either one of those if these women are all the way out here_ he thought. "When will the women be arriving?" he asked one of his scouts who happened to be with Tsavong.

"He should have them along within a few hours or so, they'll be meeting the senior Warmaster Lah in the hangar before being directed to their quarters by him. Once there, they will take an audience with any noble in our circle and the only other one besides Czulkang and Tsavong is you," the source answered. "Good, inform Czulkang that I will be visiting the women three hours after they arrive so as to give them time to settle in first," Nom ordered.

The scout bowed and left to obey his orders, the speed pleasing him as he normally didn't have it on his side. Shimrra and Onimi were especially guilty of keeping him waiting when he had business elsewhere, weighing down his mood by the time he finally had an audience with them. However, this day was good for he was not on his way to have an audience with them. He would be meeting Arden Lyn at long last and he would be on his way to persuading her to help him with Quoreal from there.

But it wasn't too long before he was met with resistance from the Fosh captive Vergere. "What are you doing here, foolish woman?" Nom asked. "I came to you with both a warning and a threat: do not seek out the powers of these two women in black robes! Only your doom awaits you at the end of the journey you start by doing this," she answered. "You waste my time woman, I have always won whether in the immediate future or the distant, I do not fear these two," he replied.

"You're a damned fool if you don't fear the power they can wield as individuals, never mind as a team," Vergere snapped. "I assure you Vergere that the fear will be absolutely unnecessary and even replaced by reverence for their power. That will keep their egos fed and their powers under my line more than fear and my knowledge of the surroundings would combined," he calmly countered. "These are not the sort of people you can control, not forever," she begged, desperate for him to see her side.

"I will not order you to move out of the way twice, be ready to hold the apprentice hostage when I find out who she is and lure her to you. It does not matter to me how you do it, just do it until I have persuaded Arden Lyn to complete the task I will request of her. Blackmailing has always been the most effective way to persuade anyone to do my bidding and with her, I doubt a change," he ordered. "This time, you've gone too far and you've pushed your bounds with me!" she hissed.


	6. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

When Arden and Depa arrived to the hangar bay of the city, whose name translated to 'Glory of Shimrra', she was immediately impressed by its resemblance to a living creature. In fact, she was baffled when Depa stated that their technology was biomechanical in nature. "It's advanced like what we know but everything lives and breaths from this city to the smallest military craft," she added. "How in the universe is this strange technology possible?" Arden asked.

"It's very rare in our galaxy due to the flaws associated with it but it seems as though the Yuuzhan Vong have perfected the art. I too am confused by how they did it but perhaps that is something Warmaster Czulkang will explain," Depa answered. They were greeted almost immediately after disembarking from their ship by the Warmaster himself and a procession of troops flanking them. _So much trouble for just two women who were only a couple of the survivors from a fifteen-year-old battle... hardly impressive_ Depa thought to herself.

A gesture from Arden told her to come down from the ship and follow in line with her as she was joined by Czulkang. "It is an honor to meet the father of Tsavong Lah at long last, I have heard quite a bit about you," Arden said, flattering him to get them on a good note. "Please dispense with those silly formalities, Lady Arden, I am nothing like my naive son. He is new in the field of being a Warmaster, I have had centuries to accumulate experience that shows on my armor and my face," he said.

"Yes, I can tell that you have seen many battles but do tell us how you mastered the art of biomechanical technology. We are very curious to learn more about the Yuuzhan Vong culture than the small amount we already know about them," she replied, overlooking his comment about formalities. "Even before we became the warrior race that you see today, our people always had a good connection with the animals and the environment surrounding us. So much so that we were able to harness the deadlier powers of our creatures with naught but our minds before very long.

"Occasionally, some species did resist but we eventually broke them into our pets and they have served us well ever since. I think you will find, with time, that the biomechanical technology that we can use has many advantages over what you have in your galaxy. Even if yours was more capable of overcoming us in battle, I highly praise our people's advance in single combat," Czulkang explained. Will I really have to stand around and listen to this old war hero babble all day? Depa asked silently.

"Interesting, it almost reminds me of the power I wield called the Force, my apprentice uses it as well," Arden stated. "I have heard of this power before: Nom Anor has expressed an interest in it and Vergere claims that she and Court Jester Onimi both wield it," Czulkang said. Hmmm, so Vergere is here but this Onimi person. Interesting that a species outside of the Force should have a Force-sensitive individual within it Depa observed mentally.

A nod and a wink from her Mistress proved to her that she had also observed this and was storing it for future planning. "What do any of them profess to know about it?" Arden inquired aloud. "Onimi believes that it allows him his influence in the Court, something Nom Anor has reason to suspect, and has intrigued his interests in human emotions along with their abilities to use them in their powers. Vergere on the other hand... she believes that Onimi uses his powers to take control of our Supreme Overlord and that Nom Anor is looking at the wrong experimental specimens," Czulkang explained.

"What do you believe?" Depa asked. Czulkang paused for thought despite continuing with his march towards the headquarters where the women would be making their residence. Apparently, the question trumped him more than Arden Lyn and even Czulkang himself had anticipated happening. Then he spoke and when he did, both women were surprised by the answer that he gave to them.

"I believe that the Force is real, having seen the Ember of Vahla and the Sorcerers of Tund use it against my troops. However, I do not have enough evidence to believe that Onimi is anything more than a cunning Court Jester who just so happened to be lucky to find a weak-minded Overlord. Nonetheless, I actually do agree with Vergere that Nom Anor is looking at the wrong specimens for his experimentations concerning the Force and how people in your galaxy use it," he answered. "If I am not mistaken, your people consider all others to be inferior to you," Arden said.

"You're not but may I ask why that's relevant to our conversation?" Czulkang requested. "Because if you believe Vergere to be part of an inferior species, how is it that you believe what she says about Nom Anor and his experiments?" Arden countered. Chuckling, Czulkang stated that he didn't entirely agree with his people about the belief of Yuuzhan Vong superiority over all others. "Because if that were so, we would not have been defeated by the Chiss in the war, fifteen years ago," he added.

"So do you believe her or do you not?" Depa demanded. "I believe her yes but only to the extent that she is right about Anor being unwise in his experimentation of humans. That is where our common ground ends and the disagreement begins: I don't believe Onimi to be the best specimen here. Had better creatures been available, I would have chosen them so maybe he is the best for now though I disagree that he is good for any kind of scientific experimentation that the Intendant could do," he said.

"What has Nom Anor concluded in his experimentations so far that would compel you to believe that?" Arden asked. "Truthfully, it's mostly a bunch of nonsense based on a bunch of slaves we captured early in the war when the truce did not apply. He believes humans to be weak though human males are the stronger of the two if he had to pick between them. His beliefs about the women are that human women are only good for reproduction and caring for the house as our women mostly are.

"You two are living and breathing proof to the contrary being the case even if men are indeed, physically more powerful for the most part," Czulkang answered. "I will admit that the greater majority of women are idiots who do not know when to shut up about their troubles. But those very same weaknesses can also apply to men and sometimes, to an even greater extreme than women," Depa said. So not much has changed on the view of women from my time at all.. can't say I'm anything other than disappointed Arden thought but didn't say.

"Misogyny has a way of remaining strong in almost all species, no matter where you go. In some instances, it is true of a species though it is a very stupid idea overall. Humans are an example of where it doesn't apply even if yours is not," she said aloud. "My thoughts exactly on that matter," Czulkang admitted.

"So it does apply to your species?" Arden inquired. "Aside from the Shifters and a couple of other classes in our caste system, yes," Czulkang replied. "But there are matriarchies in the universe where women are dominant and the men are submissive," Depa suggested. "Few and far between those are but you do have a point: they are another loophole in Intendant Anor's pathetic rule," Czulkang said.

"It would seem as though you collaborate with this Nom Anor despite your disagreements with him," Arden said. He's far too passive to be an enemy of this Intendant character although fierce enough to have encountered him on the political level on at least one occasion Arden thought. Depa was having similar thoughts to her Mistress and when Czulkang answered them, their suspicions were confirmed. "I will admit that I do work with him on the sidelines but he is far from a friend, he is more like an ally to me and a useful one at that to some degree," he confessed.

"What would be his interest in us if he is merely a 'useful ally' to you?" Depa asked. "Merely a business one, I hope: he keeps more of his intentions behind shadows than he reveals," he answered. Arden and her apprentice had the feeling that Czulkang was somehow lying, that he knew more than he was telling, but they decided not to bother him about that. "How long before we arrive at our place of residence?" Depa continued.

"We are but a few minutes off now, Nom Anor will visit the two of you in another three hours which should give you plenty of time to settle into your new place. That is enough time for you to adjust, is it not?" Czulkang asked. "Yes, that should be sufficient for our needs though I had not expected for him to desire to meet us so soon," Arden answered. I also wonder why Nom Anor is so interested in us as to desire a visit only three hours after we arrive to his domain Depa thought but didn't say.

"And here we are," Czulkang announced, waving a hand to a relatively simple-looking cottage house or else as close to a cottage as the Yuuzhan Vong were going to get. Interesting place to stay considering the biotechnology of the these people but I suppose it's nice Arden thought silently. "My son will be nearby whenever he is not on business affairs should you need anything. I will also have a residence not too far away should my son be unavailable for your assistance as well," he added.

"Thank you Czulkang, you and your son have both been too kind to us," Arden said aloud. "I think you will find that every kindness you can get must be taken with gratitude. Our people are not used to kindness to infidel races like the three of us are," Czulkang warned. "We shall keep that in mind for future reference, Warmaster and thank you," Depa stated.

With a bow, Czulkang thanked them both and left them to settle into their new headquarters knowing full well that Nom Anor was on his way. "What do you think of this Intendant Nom Anor from what Czulkang says?" Depa asked her Mistress. Arden looked up at her, the surprise from the question showing on her face though she probably should've expected this. "That we need to be careful when we speak to or do anything with him while we're here even if he is indeed our ally," she answered.

**"Take her to the** Citadel and implant her with the Insanity, the rest will be history from there," Nom Anor ordered his troops. Having seen to Vergere being knocked unconscious and susceptible, he wanted her ready for the next stage of his plan to have Arden help him revive Quoreal. He was going to blackmail her with the threat of her apprentice being killed in exchange for service. The Insanity would keep Vergere alive long enough for him to complete the ceremony before he could play hero with them.

_If what I have learned about humans is correct, Arden and her apprentice should have an attachment that makes them protective of each other. Once I exploit that attachment for my purposes, the rest should be as easy as cutting up worms for food_ he thought enthusiastically. Smiling, he made his way to their headquarters where the Warmaster Lahs had given the women residence with the intent to complete his plot no matter what the consequences of it. Quoreal would be revived and would lead a revolution that would shatter the fundamentals of the people to the core.

If all went to plan, it would even reduce the population of the Yuuzhan Vong so much that they would only be ready for conquest at the end of the forty years of peace. Plenty of time for him to complete his ultimate plan for domination of the universe as he saw it. Peace and prosperity for his people would be gained and he would be remembered as the ultimate messiah of his race. By the gods, it would be beautiful, the world he established for his people to rule for the next millennia or so.

"Would you like her to remain at the top of the Citadel tower so that it's easy to locate her in emergency, milord?" one of his soldiers asked. "Yes do that, I will inform Arden's apprentice that she will need rescuing there so as to lure her into the trap. As I recall, Vergere left behind people that missed her for the longest time after her disappearance," he whispered back, nodding. He was hoping that the apprentice had been one of those people and would be immediately answer the call for aid.

His men dispersed to obey his orders and just when he knew that they were gone, he knocked on the door to the cottage. "This is Intendant Nom Anor, I request an audience with the residents of this place," he said, addressing himself so they knew exactly who it was. It wasn't long before he was answered and the woman introduced herself as Depa Billaba, apprentice to Arden Lyn. _Perfect, this is the woman I need for my blackmailing scheme to work against her Mistress_ he thought to himself.

"May I meet your Mistress, miss Billaba?" he asked politely. "She's been expecting you as have I," Depa answered before letting him in. Immediately, he saw the woman that called herself Arden Lyn and stated that it was a pleasure to meet her. "And it is good to meet one of our famous allies, Czulkang Lah talks quite a bit about you," she replied.

"Does he now? I'm surprised that he would find me in such high graces as to speak about me to you," he said. Indeed he was genuinely surprised but he didn't let this show too much except to satisfy the human women. "You would be surprised as to what Czulkang thinks of you but I think that should be saved for another time, I have information that I need from you," Arden replied. "And I have information that may intrigue your apprentice: the Fosh Vergere is trapped on top of the Citadel," Nom stated.

"Where is that?" Depa inquired. "Northwest of here exactly, she's on the top of its largest spiral tower. You did hope to rescue her before you both left this place, did you not?" Nom explained. She nodded in admission and requested to her Mistress that she be allowed to go on this mission.

"Go but be careful, we don't know whether this information is correct or not just based on what he says," Arden warned. Depa nodded, collected her lightsaber, and left to fulfill the task that Nom Anor had offered her with the rescue of Vergere. "Why did you direct that at my apprentice and not to me?" Arden asked. "Because unlike you, Vergere and your apprentice were both Jedi at one time or another," Nom Anor answered.

"I am a fallen Jedi too, you know," Arden stated. "I suppose that's true but you are the one with the power I want more than your apprentice. You see, for nearly twenty years, I have been aiming to do what my people profess to be impossible: I intend to bring back the dead," he began. "You're the all-knowing Intendant of your people, you don't need an Infidel like me," she interrupted.

_This one will be harder to persuade than I thought she would be but no matter, I love a good challenge every now and then_ he thought silently. "That is where you are wrong: even with my current advances in biotechnological medicine, I could never revive this man. I need you to help me heal him with some of your Force power, restoring his mind and bringing him fully to life if possible," he said. _This sounds similar to what I did for Depa when she was in a coma and what happened to me after I had been hibernating for twenty-five millenniums, shouldn't be hard_ she said to herself.

"Allow me time to meditate on the matter and think about it, I've barely been out of a ten-year hibernation for half a day and this is a lot to take in. I will return to you with a reply in an hour and I suggest you let me have that time for your sake more than mine," she said aloud. She wasn't saying this to ditch him, she genuinely needed the time to decide whether or not to help this slippery man out. "However, I would like a little bit of information: who is it that you intend to have me resurrect?" she continued.

"The former Supreme Overlord of my people, none other than the mighty and wise Quoreal himself. His successor has become a tyrant and wishes to violate the treaty, thus I intend to restore his predecessor," Nom answered. Arden nodded and chose to first consult the Talisman before deciding her next move. Amongst all the people and things she was trust, she was to beginning to wonder if this artifact of her husband's day would be the best.

_You are right to mistrust this man but be aware that he holds the key to you being able to return home. If you complete this task and whatever else he asks of you, you could return to the galaxy and have your revenge against Thrawn_ the Talisman told her._ I don't desire to kill Thrawn at this point but I could use an explanation as to what he did and how I can adapt to it_ she said. _Then, I'm afraid you're going to have to do as Nom Anor says until he no longer has an interest in you, besides that I sense your apprentice will soon be in dange_r the voice replied.

Arden didn't even bother to ask what it was talking about, figuring that that would be revealed soon enough and decided to chew on the information for a little bit. "Nom Anor, what happens if I don't cooperate with you? I want the truth and I want it no matter how I have to get it out of you," she asked. She hoped the warning was enough to impress him and it seemed as though it was indeed enough to impress him more easily than she had expected.

"If you do not cooperate, I will bear no hard feelings but I can't guarantee that your apprentice will survive the Citadel even if she manages to find Vergere. Either way, you lose something whether it's your apprentice or a little bit of your power," he answered calmly. "Then I guess you have yourself one blackmailed Sorceress of the Dark Side at your bidding," she told him defeatedly. "Oh don't think of it as blackmail, think of it as the lesser of two evils," he replied, probably hoping to curb her anger.

Despite the attempt and the intent behind it, it mounted her anger toward him if it did anything at all._ I knew we shouldn't trust this man when we're around him or accomplices under his wing_ she told herself mentally._ Do not feel bad about having fallen into his trap, even I could not have anticipated this and there is almost nothing I don't see_ Kashi Mer interjected. _Too late to fix your mistake now but hopefully, there will be time to remedy this mess cleanly_ Arden told it.

"Why are you interested in this Quoreal character? What makes him so heroic compared to the current Supreme Overlord?" she asked aloud. "The answer to that is easy but it will require time to explain," he answered. "Take all the time you need, it's not like we're going to be able to teleport to your place, is it?" she retorted.

"Your attitude is astoundingly mature even in the face of dire peril to someone attached to you," he stated as he chuckled. "I have lost people that have become dear to me before and to such a point where the grief has numbed and hardened my heart somewhat. It's not that I don't feel anything for Depa, it's just that it might be harder for me to grieve for her than it was for the man I loved," she said. "Oh do tell me more about this!" he exclaimed like a happy little child.

"First spill the beans on Quoreal and then I may tell you about the loss of my beloved, not a moment before!" she hissed. "That isn't beyond my power of patience and reasoning, I shall obey your request," he replied. Good and if anything does happen to my apprentice, I don't need my sword to kill you she thought angrily. He was going to pay one way or the other for this insolence towards her and her apprentice, that she would see to personally.

"Quoreal was a staunch traditionalist and one of the most respectable Supreme Overlords in the history of our people. His dedication to the religious side of our people as well as peaceful relations with those who were stronger than us was beyond exquisite. He was so obsessed with the usage of cunning and strategy to defeat an enemy that it was amazing that Shimrra managed to defeat him at all. Plus, unlike Shimrra, he was independent of his subjects and could act with or without their consent," he began.

"Let me guess, this Onimi character controls Shimrra like a puppet and you want to reinstate a man who's stronger of mind," she stated, having already deduced the significance of this in her mind. "Yes, yes I do and the Lah family shares my pain, fortunately," he admitted.


	7. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

_I wonder why Vergere is trapped at the top of the Citadel and not somewhere a little less obvious. Perhaps it was a trap and my Mistress was reluctant to let me go because of that_ Depa thought to herself. Arden Lyn might have been relatively innocent compared to her but she saw and anticipated many things that Depa herself couldn't see. It was possible that she had seen the obviousness of Vergere's place of captivity as a trap that should be avoided.

But what could Depa do now except move on to see if she could help the poor old woman? She had been here since before the battle of Naboo and who knows what the Yuuzhan Vong might have done to her during that time? However, as she approached the immense Citadel, she wasn't as horrified by it as she thought it would be upon gazing. True, the biomechanical technology still threw her off (some of the walls opened and folded back to the corners by themselves) but it wasn't very scary.

However, it was when she saw the tortured prisoners of the Citadel that she began to shudder in shock. Some of the prisoners were twisted into unrecognizable collections of twigs with skin and blood that slowly oozed its way out where many bone shards had pierced through. The eyes of some of these prisoners also bulged out beyond what was normal and the tears shed were tears of blood too. Some were virtually crucified as they were slowly mangled alive by contraptions that likely explained the abnormal shapes of the others.

"I've done no wrong, by the gods, someone hear my cries!" a female prisoner begged. "The gods don't care about Shamed Ones here, forget about begging them for help here," a male replied. Shamed Ones... the Yuuzhan Vong run on a caste system and that sounds like the lowest caste there is. I'll have to remember that in case it becomes useful to us later Depa told herself.

Guards initially opposed her but when she used Pyrokinesis, Lightning, and even Kinetite, they didn't stop her from completing her journey. When she arrived to the tower, she saw how the torchbearers looked very much like teeth and the surrounding area like gums. Shaking her head, she continued to ascend the stairs despite being grossed out by the transformations that the walls took. Sometimes, she even wondered if the trap was not Vergere but rather, the biology of the Citadel that she walked inside of right now.

However, when a door suddenly opened in much the same fashion as a mouth, she knew she was out safely and would be soon arriving at the top of the spire. She looked back down to see that she had covered more than three miles of tower and base of the great Citadel._ All that work and so much distance covered... the liveliness of the inside of the damned place made it seem like longer_ she thought.

But maybe that was the magic of the Citadel: it played tricks on the minds of those who would break a prisoner or group of prisoners out of its guarded horde. _There's no way that these deformed prisoners are the only valuable thing that this place protects, it's too big for that_ she told herself. She was nearing the top of the spire and she could sense Vergere's presence in the Force, a good sign of Nom Anor telling the truth. However, she also sensed an aura of the Dark Side about this woman; Depa knew she needed to be careful about her approach.

**"I hold nothing personal** against you Arden Lyn, I have always gotten my way either through extortion or polite persuasion," Nom said. "Dispense with the apology formalities, I have no use for them," Arden snapped. "You say that as though you believe yourself already dead," he stated. "In some ways, I should be dead: I was born more than twenty-five thousand years ago," she admitted.

"Then how are you still here with us? The typical human lifespan is not even more than a century if I am mistaken," he asked. "When I was twenty-six years old, I was placed into a trance by Jedi Master Pina which saw me staying in a dormant state until fifteen years ago," she answered. "How is that possible?" she inquired.

"The power of the Force can do amazing things when one is susceptible to most of its effects which are telepathically and telekinetically related. You and your people have a special immunity to those sorts of powers and we are limited to energy-based attacks against you. However, that doesn't stop anyone of your people who has the Force from doing terrible things, I imagine," she explained. "Terrible like what, for instance?" he asked, his curiosity slowly etching into his voice.

He needed to know what she could offer in case it had anything to do with Onimi's closeness to Shimrra, he needed to know how he could counter it for his own gain when needed. "Some applications of the Force include a Voice ability that allows the wielder to control whoever they speak to with the it. It was an uncommon application in my day but I wouldn't be surprised if its popularity has soared since," she answered nonchalantly. _Onimi could be using this Voice she speaks of to control Shimrra and make him do his will_ Nom observed.

Smiling, he asked her what other applications Onimi could use as a Yuuzhan Vong with a connection to his own people. "Depends on what the strength of his connection is: the stronger it is, the more he can do. If strong enough, he can teleport from one place to another so long as he can look at it or he could use the Force to accelerate his Speed so greatly as to cover vast distances," she said. Most impressive, maybe that's why Onimi was used as a messenger in his early days he thought silently.

"How come you do not teleport or use the Force to enhance your Speed?" he inquired aloud. "Because a wise warrior reserves those sorts of powers only for emergencies such as an escape or there is no other way to overcome an enemy," she replied, her anger somewhat showing. "Yet you are not just a warrior: you can also heal damaged minds and bodies, as I recall you saying," he stated. "Your memory serves you well, yes I can do all that as well though I must admit I have had a little help with that in the past," she said before revealing a prism of glass.

"What is it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "The Kashi Mer Talisman, probably the only artifact that can that has all the powers of a god. If there is anything that this thing can't do, I haven't found it out yet," she answered. The powers of a god could be in my grasp with this thing, I could destroy Onimi and Shimrra, taking the title of Supreme Overlord away he thought excitedly.

"May I hold it?" he inquired. "Absolutely not: mortal hands wouldn't survive its power for a second," she hissed. _She says this merely to intimidate you young man: I spare those I wish to spare for usage of my power_ Nom heard a voice say. _How is it possible for a little piece of glass to be speaking to me?_ he asked mentally.

_As Arden said I can do many things and telepathically speaking to all species, regardless of their connection to the Force, is amongst them. I am, after all, the creation of probably the only being anyone could call a god in the physical universe_ the Talisman replied. Nom smiled just slightly enough for Arden to not see and great enough to express his enjoyment at this revelation. He knew he couldn't make a move to grab the artifact now but he would work on that slowly.

He would build up her trust and even add his possession of the Talisman as another bargaining chip for Arden's return home. The wheels in his mind turned in ponderance as to what he could do with the powers of a god in this prism-shaped, glassy artifact. Once Onimi was out of the way, he would persuade her to let him have it as a final token for her passageway home. If all went well, she would be so broken and saddened that she would more than willingly hand it over to him.

"How much longer before we arrive at your headquarters to begin your little rescue?" she demanded. "Oh, not much longer, it's three turns that add up to half a standard mile of distance that reveals a small palace. Granted it isn't as splendid as the Citadel or even Shimrra's Palace but I think you will like it," he answered. When they arrived, Arden did have to admit that she liked his palace but she didn't really care for it at that moment.

"And here we are," he stated with excitement visibly mounting in him. "Just show me to where Quoreal lies and I will begin my ceremony," she commanded. She keeps her hardened edge even in the face of fulfilling the task that her extortion has commanded of her. Indeed, she would make for an effective leader in any time due to her containment of her inner impulses he thought.

"Due to the need for secrecy, I have brought his body to a laboratory underground but not very far since my house camouflages the entrance rather well. I think you will find the laboratory just as interesting as my palace and the inside of it," he continued. "And why should I?" she demanded. "Because it has a mind of its own even if it's under my control and no one else's," he replied, smugly.

**Czulkang felt bad about** leaving Arden and Depa alone with Nom Anor even if he was his ally. True that Nom held political power that Czulkang could never hope to have and was useful in that arena. But he was slipperier than a wet amphistaff on a rainy day and there was no telling what he would persuade the women to do for him. Indeed, he couldn't have sexual relations with either of them, Intendants are castrated at adolescence once they have united with a wife unless emergencies came up.

Because of how seldom those came up and Nom Anor's perfect health record, Czulkang very highly doubted that he avoided castration. However, it was just something about the way he often experimented with other people was a way that had yet to backfire on him. His method was to slowly gain the trust of whoever he wanted to use until he could persuade them to do anything. True that he might occasionally need to extort them at the start but that was very occasional in his data.

Czulkang knew this was dangerous due to having employed similar methods in his youth and finding them to be wrong seldomly. Tsavong also employed these methods but he did this only when he truly had to, preferring to win his battles through honest work and fair fights. Admittedly, Czulkang could see that Tsavong's methods were also effective but proved more rewarding than his own. Why they did was probably because of the virtue behind them than his current methods, something inspiring.

For Czulkang had once used methods much like Tsavong's and even praised him accordingly. However, politics forced him with no choice but to turn away from those methods and he knew that Tsavong would eventually understand why. Hopefully, he wouldn't turn from his current methods but Czulkang did wish that his son would see why before the end of his days. It was one of the greatest tests a Warmaster had to face and the sooner Tsavong overcame it, the better off he would be.

It would not only be good for giving him the complete mastery of the ability to disconnect from his emotions during battle unless he had a child of his own with him. Much as Czulkang had stupidly done with Tsavong at the final battle of the war, fifteen years ago, a mistake that the Council pointed out. As a result, his esteem went down a lot but not unrecoverably so: he worked back into his prestige with his reputation and his hard work in the post-war efforts. The same could not be said of Nom Anor's reputation which only seemed to spiral downwards as time passed and the effects of the war wore out.

Soon, Czulkang and Tsavong would have to cut off ties with Nom Anor in order to save their own honor and their lives. Associating with him would become a thing of the past, a condemnable act that only invited death and destruction. How long Czulkang had before that happened remained to be seen but he had a feeling that it would be soon. Those girls had accelerated events with their presence whether they knew it or not though he could easily guess the latter choice.

**When Depa finally arrived** to the top of the Citadel's largest spiral, she had to admit that she was initially disappointed to see only the Fosh woman chained to a pole. Judging by the slump, unlively position her head took she had been knocked unconscious by something though she didn't know what. No doubt Nom Anor had something to do with this even if he wasn't the one that ordered them to happen to her. _Such a pity that a member of the Jedi almost as old as I am has been here for most of her time and not back on Coruscant_ Depa thought to herself as she examined Vergere.

Depa observed a traditionally-designed lightsaber at her belt and she wondered why the woman wasn't disarmed when she was brought here. She also felt a saberstaff in Vergere's right sleeve, likely a concealed weapon, but the fact that she had these weapons was confusing. Did her captors have so much confidence in her docility that they afforded her the weapons without fear of reprise? Freeing her from her chains, she watched her fall down and did nothing to catch her as she pondered what to do.

Just then, the "false sky" she had observed earlier passed over her head and began to release moisture in a manner that simulated rain. Reminding herself that the Yuuzhan Vong were physiologically adapted for tropical worlds, according to Thrawn, this rain became no surprise. This observation would definitely be good to bring up to his attention if we ever meet him again she told herself. As she continued to think about what she should do, the rain not helping, Vergere awakened.

"You, what are you doing here!?" she demanded. "My name is Depa Billaba, fallen member of the Jedi Order and apprentice to the great Arden Lyn," Depa replied calmly. "Depa Billaba... yes I remember the name: you are considered one of the wisest minds of the Jedi or at least you were," Vergere said. "So we do know each other from within the Jedi Order?" Depa asked.

"Thracia Cho Leem was my Master and as I recall, she was one of Master Windu's true friends. If my memory serves me additionally right, you were Master Windu's Padawans and we served missions together," Vergere answered. The fact that Depa had completely overlooked the name of Vergere's Master proved that the Dark Side had clouded many things in her mind. But of all the things she could've allowed herself to be clouded in, she would have never thought of this one.

After all, Thracia was one of the few people to make Mace smile with just the words she said if she wanted to. Things like that had a profound impact on the shaping of Depa's personality during her time in the Order and Thracia had almost been like a mother and Vergere a sister. "Remember me now!?" Vergere demanded. "I do yes and it sends a white-hot dagger into my heart to see you here in such shape as you are," Depa admitted.

"Do not mock me now Sister, I pray. The Yuuzhan Vong have enlightened me to the wisdoms of the galaxy far beyond the struggles of the Jedi and the Sith! Your so-called wise mind would never comprehend what I have seen and what I have been asked to do for these people," Vergere hissed. "Do not hold me in such spite for failures that were not mine, I beg you. Your Master tried to find you and even had Master Kenobi journey with his Padawan to find you after you disappeared," Depa said.

There was no lie there: Thracia had become so attached with Vergere as a result of having seen her hatching that she had begged the Council to send a search party after she disappeared. Even when they went to Zonama Sekot, where Vergere was last seen, they found nothing and the search ended. "Let me guess, they found enough to consider me lost just as Nom Anor anticipated!" Vergere snapped. Depa nodded but had internally noted Nom Anor's hand in this, wondering if he was her captor and this was just a ploy to manipulate her Mistress through their attachment.

"I don't want to kill you Vergere, in fact, my Mistress and I hoped to rescue you. So please, if you come with me now, I am sure that we can arrange for you to return home with us," she said aloud. "You don't understand Depa: I am home!" Vergere shouted. "Sister, don't make me destroy you: I can if you make it necessary," Depa warned, reserved but sadness swelling in her heart.

"The choice has already been made and the price of my Master's life has already been paid," Vergere said as she indicated the lightsaber at her belt. Depa sighed, knowing there was nothing left but the dangers of a battle with her old avian friend much as she hated it. "Then you leave me no choice, Vergere: either I can free you from the insanity that grips you or I have to kill you," she said. "I hope it's the latter choice rather than the former," Vergere replied with a wicked smile before calling her saberstaff to her and beginning the duel.


	8. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

"As you can see by the design of it, the laboratory has yet to be completed but not to worry: I have years before I need to worry about cramming everything in. You see, I have the best laboratory in the city which is also one of the best on Zonama Sekot," Nom explained. "And how is it the best one of the best on the planet if this is a floating city?" Arden asked. "This city has the ability to land on the planet and appear to be like any other place on any other planet," Nom answered.

"I see but don't the people of Zonama pay any heed to your landing, at all?" she inquired. "Yes but they are aware of the fact that their technological advances in weapons are not sufficient to beat us. They left that up to the Chiss instead which turned out for the better considering that they did indeed beat us but now, they mind us even less than they did before. As a result, we are allowed to land the city on the living planet so long as we do not bother the people in an aggressive manner," he explained.

"I suppose this city is made similar to what Zonama is, no doubt?" she asked. "What do you mean by that?" he replied. "Is Zonama also made of biotechnology and the people there, the end results of that?" she said, clarifying the question. "Oh yes, very much so: this city is actually supposed to be a smaller replication of Zonama Sekot though it does not live and breath like it does," he said. "Live... and breath?" she demanded.

"The planet has an intelligence all of its own, much as our former homeworld did fifteen thousand years before. In fact, it has often been said that our homeworld's intelligence was the one that stripped the Yuuzhan Vong of their connection to the Force. If what Vergere had said about Onimi having a connection is true, he will be the first one in all that time to realign us with the Force," he stated._ Perhaps that explains why he wants to purge Onimi from the scene: his connection to the Force is a threat to all he desires to do_ Arden thought to herself.

"What's a way that I could try and detect Onimi from a distance, seeing as I'm attuned to the Force and the Yuuzhan Vong are disconnected from it?" she asked aloud. "Simple enough: you would need to learn Vongsense which is equivalent to your telepathy for us," he answered. "And how do I do that?" she requested. "I have never discovered the process for myself but my guess would be connecting with a part of our technology such as an amphistaff," he admitted.

"And what if the genetic ability to connect comes naturally to a person, regardless of the species?" she asked. This stumped Nom Anor, who apparently knew that the possibility of a natural connection did exist even if it was very rare. "Then it would be just a matter of awakening it somehow," he answered at last. "How has it usually been done?" she inquired.

"That's the thing: it's never been attempted at all," he confessed. "Then I guess after Quoreal has been awakened, we can see if I have a natural one or not," she suggested. "I suppose it wouldn't harm to try," he said with a shrug. _I wouldn't risk it until we have an idea of what it had done to others to try if I were yo_u the voice of the Talisman said to her mind from within its containment.

_That will be something to ask him, judging by the tone of his reply to my suggestion_ she countered. The Talisman went silent after that and perhaps it was for the better that it didn't speak to him again. "Where is this Quoreal figure?" she demanded. "I have him in a tank over here though he will be removed and placed on an altar for your purposes," he replied.

He revealed a tank containing a man with limbs she knew to be artificial due to the fact that they were brown and more reptilian than the rest of his body. As promised, Nom removed Quoreal from the tank of suspended animation and placed him on an altar next to the original location. Withdrawing the Talisman from her pouch, Arden used its bright light to examine what had been done so far. She was glad to see that the majority of the restoration process had already been finished for her and the artifact.

_What can you do in the way of actually restoring the flesh and bone of a person's limbs?_ she asked the Talisman._ I can restore the original cell by cell in mere minutes_ it answered her._ Then that shall be part of our restoration of the former Supreme Overlord_ she replied. "What do you want me to do about restoring his face and eyes?" she asked Nom Anor aloud.

"Leave them, he'll want a reminder of what he survived after he is revived by your magic powers," Nom answered. Arden nodded and chose to begin the process in a similar manner to what she had done with Depa Billaba to get her out of the coma. Reciting the spell she had used before, she was pleased to know that she could enter Quoreal's mind in the same fashion and pull out the darkness. Seeing nothing but memories surfacing from within, she took the original darkness and used it to stain his skin until it became the armor he would wear into combat.

The Talisman hovered above, wrapping the former corpse in green coils that protected the non-artificial parts of Quoreal while slowly burning up the others. It was at this point that Arden took to simply aiding the Talisman whilst keeping Quoreal unconscious so as to lessen his pain. The ceremony wouldn't be sensationless on his end but she wanted to make it less painful if and when possible. This was confirmed when she could hear him scream in agony as the Talisman burnt off the artificial limbs.

In their place, the original limbs Quoreal once had steamed to signify their renewal even down to the smallest claws. Arden completed the restoration by using the last of the darkness from his death to complete the leg armor that Quoreal would need in order to be less naked. Finally, when the Talisman had finished its work and Arden had completed the clothes that he would be wearing, she laid him back down. Then, with a single finger, she touched his forehead and told him to reawaken which he seemed to obey immediately.

Nom Anor, having watched in awe and fear of her power the whole time, walked slowly up to the former Supreme Overlord as he awoke and called to him softly. Quoreal responded by turning his head in Nom's direction and placing a hand on his neck, the grip like a vice as it held onto him. Nom grabbed the wrist and arm of the man who seemed intent on killing him but instead, examined him. The orange glow of his eyes indicated anger from his past life and pride for what could now be.

"Intendant Anor," the fallen Overlord whispered. Then he let go of Nom, much to the latter man's surprise, and rubbed a hand into his forehead. "My arms... my legs..." he stated as he examined the healing of his body. "They have been restored by Mistress Arden Lyn," Nom replied, gesturing to the human woman who had conducted the ceremony.

Quoreal turned to see her and at first, only snarled but then he thanked her for restoring him to full health. "It has been so long and my path has been far too dark for any to ever possibly imagine returning from," he added. "And yet you did well when I helped you survive all these years," Nom said. Quoreal tried to stand up as Nom spoke, fell, but quickly recovered and stood up with the aid of the side of the altar before speaking again.

"Of course I did well with your help!" he snarled. Paying no further heed to the woman who had saved his life, he got used to walking on his new feet before making full running laps around the lab. Then, when he finally had a feel for his legs and his arms, he commanded Nom Anor to find him weapons that he could use for his revenge. "Not so fast there, milord: much has changed since you were overthrown and you still need time to adjust to some of these changes," Nom explained.

"You can tell me about them later, I simply wish to have a feel for the weapons I am most familiar with and get some practice back down. Obey me or die!" Quoreal ordered. I like this man's attitude: fierce and unrelenting, a hint of cunning to supplement the brute force Arden observed. Smiling, she simply continued to watch as Nom Anor obeyed his order by tossing an amphistaff near him, probably having anticipated that Quoreal would want a weapon.

For her, it was an opportunity to observe what the Yuuzhan Vong could do with their weapons in case Onimi had any of these beside the Force in their battle. She watched as Quoreal claimed the staff for himself and watching as it took on all sorts of different shapes from a whip to a blade. Impressive and since it most likely counters a lightsaber, Depa will need to be cautious if Onimi has one of these as well Arden told herself. Stroking her chin in thought, she was beginning to wish that Depa was here with her now but this was overshadowed by the possibility of Onimi sensing this.

If he was connected to the Force, wouldn't he be suspicious of her activity even if it was down underground and not above? Wouldn't Vergere have helped him notice these things to the best of his abilities? Or had she not yet taught him anything about how to use the Force for such purposes as that? There was no way that could have happened unless... unless he was just starting out and she had yet to even reach the point where he could teach him to seek out these sorts of disturbances.

**Onimi was ripped from** the world of sleep by a sudden rise in Force usage that wasn't his own. His heart pounded to the ribs and he could feel its beat along with its intensity on his body. He didn't know for certain but he was pretty sure that he had just sensed a disturbance like Vergere described. How was it possible for someone other than him to use the Force here when all other Forces users were on the enemy side of the galaxy?

_Could it be those women that I foresaw when the elder Warmaster Lah mentioned Thrawn having allies? Are they here for some reason that I do not yet know?_ Onimi asked silently. His initial impulse was to alert Shimrra to this turn of events but he thought better of it: Shimrra had enough without him being bothered in the middle of the night for a suspicion. Shaking his head, he decided to think nothing of it until he could find Vergere in the morning and explain this presence.

It was unnatural to him but it was probably due to his people being outside of the Force, normally. He was the first in fifteen thousand years to be attuned to the Force and as a result, he was alone in his dealings with whatever happened in relation to it. But it didn't mean that he was without help: Vergere had created a portal that allowed for Force energy to seep into his body. It gave him power and also healed him from such traumatic experience as this: it was his life and his curse.

Until he mastered the Force and harnessed this gate's power, it was more in control of him than he was even in control of himself. Sure, he could withdraw power from it but the price was increasing dependence on that power until he couldn't live without it. Then, if he reached that point, its destruction would mean his own defeat at the hands of someone who didn't need a source of power to survive. He wondered if these foreseen women were the ones sent to undo him or at least make him independent.

If the latter, it could be a sign of good things to come for him and his future of controlling Shimrra and indirectly ruling the Yuuzhan Vong as a result. Vergere would still be needed to teach him the ways of the Force but even her time was beginning to wear out. However, when she had taught him all that she could about the Force and became more of a hindrance, he would destroy her forevermore. Granted, she would be expecting him to attack her but he would prove to be superior when he finally did and he would cast her soul into oblivion, reducing her body to ashes in the process.

But instead of bothering the Supreme Overlord and withdrawing more power for comfort, Onimi was surprised to see his wife waiting for him. "So much distress in you, it's a wonder you get any sleep at all," she said to him. "I do what I can when I can, Luna. You need know no more than that," he replied.

"But what if I say I do?" she asked defiantly. "Then I would say that you need to remember your place and know that I can do just fine without the bothers of a woman," he answered. Onimi knew better than to give her any ground in a society that mostly encouraged competition for dominance. However, the only reason he would have to tolerate his wife as an equal authority to himself was if she were a Shaper.

He would also have to give her tolerance if she was a priestess but fortunately for his own misogynistic views, she was neither. "This is not a patriarchal society for your information: the only reason I tolerate you acting like this is because I am of a lower rank than you!" she hissed. "Nonetheless, you will tolerate me so long as I have Shimrra's protection otherwise you would be higher than me as you diligently have pointed out to me," he replied calmly. That was true too: after attaching yammosk tissue to his brain in an experiment, he had discovered the Force.

He was marked as a Shamed One and his face was hideously deformed by the goddess, Yun-Harla. Were it not for Shimrra's label hovering over his head, Luna would indeed have been of superior rank to Onimi as a result despite being an Attendant. However, something inside him longed for the return of Yun-Harla, a forbidden desire for revenge against a deity that no one had had before him. Tossing that aside for now, he focused on making his wife subordinate to him again or persuading her to leave through intimidation.

It had been long ago decreed that Luna could not produce children and as such, was given to Onimi as a joke. But now it would appear as though the joke would need to be cut off before it could do him anymore damage. "You know Luna, I have begun to wonder why you were chosen to be my wife of all the women that could have been used to play a cruel joke on me. But now I know why," he said, bluffing at his core but it was a bluff that he hoped would work on her.

"Why is that? Because they hoped that we died of old age or fighting each other?" she asked him. "Actually yes," he said, realizing he really wasn't bluffing about knowing the reason. Whether subconsciously or not, he had always known and now he had an opportunity to pass a test.

Before disappearing, Vergere had asked him to sever a personal connection of any sort in order to prove his commitment to the Force. The portal that provided him power vaporized anyone else who touched it and here was his defiant wife arguing with him once again. Despite Shimrra's reassurance that she would grow to love him and vice versa, neither member of the couple had anything short of hate. But as he thought about all this, he noticed that his comment had surprised her and practically shut her up right then and there.

"Except now, I have ample opportunity to have you die fighting without anything happening to me. You see, Vergere wanted me to sever a bond from my past in order to commit myself to the Force. I had thought hard as to what it meant seeing as I didn't want to cut off my connection with Shimrra and risk losing everything I've built up to so far but now the solution is here," he explained calmly. "What are you going to do, kill me?" she asked.

He went to answering yes but then hesitated, something telling him that there would be a fate worse than death for her. In addition, the Court had already beared more hatred toward Luna than to him and anything he said would be believed for once. Instead of throwing her into the portal and vaporizing her, he had a better fate in mind and he would start by exposing what he knew of her. "No, better: I will relinquish all information as to who your parents are to the Court," he said aloud.

"But that would make me a Shamed One even worse than you and you could potentially be redeemed from your own shame. In exchange, however, I would be put with the working caste and made to work until I drop!" she exclaimed. Onimi smiled and stated that that was precisely what he intended to do if she did not bring herself back into submission to him. As expected, she dropped down and begged him not to do what he vowed he would do if she did not keep to serving him.

"Your mother was a harlot and your father a thief... I think that would be interesting information for the Court," he said. The reason he said this was because as he caressed her face and stood above her, he realized that she was mostly bluffing. She only did this so that she could reassure herself that she had another chance at defying his authority and acting a little more freely than she already did. However, now that Onimi had seen through her facade, he was going to call her out on it.

"I'm begging you, don't tell them what my parents were," Luna said, her bluff slowly transforming into genuine terror. But for Onimi, this was the point of no return: he had punish his wife for good and pass Vergere's test: the powers of a god at his command were too great to resist. "I'm afraid it's too late, darling: I have laid the files on top of all the others Shimrra has to receive. He will know of your parents' treachery to our people by dawn of tomorrow and you will be cast out by nightfall," he said.

"No, please! I'll do anything, I'll let you do anything you want to me, just please don't let him see those files!" she screamed. "You said that the last time I threatened to expose them and look how that turned out," he replied softly. "But this time I mean it, I will never defy you again, I swear!" she shouted.

"You had too many chances to reform from your past errors however, you will have a reprieve from what I have set in motion," he said. She looked at him with a manner that begged him to reveal what he meant and that was just what he did. "Before you are cast off, I will unite my body with yours one last time and then let the guards take you in the morning," he said. Then he violently pulled her up from where she was kneeling, bent her over a table and proceeded to tear her clothes off.

When he had succeeded in that, he pulled down his own pants and proceeded to unite his body with hers. It was a long night with him thrusting into her ass and the sound of her whimpers of pain as she took it in. But for Onimi, this union of their bodies was more delightful than previous especially seeing how distraught she was during the whole thing. And when he was finished, he left her there, naked and cold to reel in the effects of his forced union with her body as well as her personal defeat.

Smiling, he knew that Vergere would be pleased when she heard that he had disconnected from his wife after one last night of sex thus cutting off a bond. But at the same time, the thought of Vergere took some of the victory away, made it hollower than he thought it would be. It was especially hollow considering what would have happened if his wife had not already been there sitting in wait for him. However, it wasn't long before Onimi put this aside as well in favor of returning to sleep, vowing to figure everything out in the morning when he was fresh and alive again.

**Fifteen times, Admiral Thrawn** had made trips to the territories of the Yuuzhan Vong, including some of their encroachments onto Zonama Sekot. Since these were not military in nature, he seldom ever really gave more heed than to document them for his trips home. However, something about the way this visit had turned out began to make him hollow inside, a lesser version of his former self. Fifteen years ago, he had promised Arden Lyn and her apprentice Depa Billaba that he would rescue them.

Search parties were mounted in accordance with the terms of the truce and had still found nothing. He hated making promises that he didn't or couldn't keep for whatever reason and this was probably the worst such one. If the Yuuzhan Vong hadn't gotten to them by now, they were as good as lost in the Void for all time or until they got into the path of a star. Then it hit him: this night made him feel especially hollow because it was fifteen years to the night he had lost the two of them in the Void.

Fifteen years to the day since he made that promise that somehow eluded him in being kept and continued to eat at his heart accordingly. _Give up, you can't focus on this forever_ he said to himself. But he pushed it aside and shook his head. He would find them somehow, some way, he'd find them.


	9. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

"We both know I was always the better swordmistress of the two of us, Vergere. You might as well just drop your sabers and come with me now before you humiliate yourself greatly," Depa warned. "When we were young, you did prove yourself, true but now I am more powerful than I was in those old days. Now I will destroy you Depa unless you give into who you truly are: a witch of the Dark Side that Mace Windu should have killed when he had the chance!" Vergere hissed.

She positioned her saberstaff in a ready stance, making sure that Depa knew she was serious about fighting. "Then you leave me no choice," Depa whispered sadly. She withdrew her own lightsaber and ignited the blade, donning an offensive Vaapad stance to signal her own readiness. The orange blade burst to life and hissed whenever drops of rainwater came in contact with the heat of it.

But Vergere made the first move in very much a similar fashion to what she remembered her doing when they first trained together. She raised the saberstaff over her head and spun down but Depa's new knowledge of Vaapad made it so that she didn't have to jump over her like she used to. Instead, she simply swatted on blade aside and defended the other whilst making long, sweeping arc and strong forward stabs in an attempt to penetrate her old friend's defenses. This also helped her build up momentum for creating the illusion of there being seven blades rather than just the one.

It was an keen observation that Windu had made whilst creating Vaapad and since he had used it against her, she could very easily count the number of blades that he made it appear he was using. True that Depa had not used this tactic on Vergere before but that was solely because Depa knew only Ataru at that time as well as some Shien which she integrated into her use of Vaapad. It was an application that had held its own surprisingly well against Mace Windu in their duel on Haruun Kal. Nonetheless, as she was observing, it was working very well against Vergere who then turned to the next part of her skill.

Here, Vergere incorporated her skills in Shii-Cho into her saberstaff bladework via channeling its aggression and raw power into each stroke. She also channeled the precision of Makashi into each aggressive stroke, making her application of the saberstaff much deadlier than was the norm of it. Granted, Darth Maul could probably surpass her application of it due to more training but even then, it would have been an impressive duel of saberstaffs to see. However, she directed her focus back on the task at hand and went on a full Vaapad offensive to repel further attacks from the Fosh warrior.

"You've learned some new things, did Windu train you in that style he was working on when I left?" Vergere asked as the duel progressed. "Yes he did and we both managed to become quite the experts at it," Depa answered. "It's beautiful, I'll give you that much but it is no match for my new powers," Vergere stated. Then she plunged one end of her weapon into the ground which and imbued it with so much Force power that it created a bubble that exploded outward and took Depa off her feet.

But Depa Billaba was quickly back on her feet with powers of her own, attacking first with the energy of Force Destruction. When Vergere dodged that, she attempted to strike her down with Force Lightning which Depa caught in her hand, absorbed, and reflected back at the avian. Vergere replied by simply throwing up her hands to form a barrier that reduced the lightning to nothing in minutes. After that, she tried again with the lightning though Depa once again caught it and reflected it back at her.

"Thracia never really did teach you how to restrain yourself, did she?" Depa mocked. They both knew that comment wasn't true but she hoped there was still some bond left between them. Being a Mistress of the Dark Side meant exploiting such things for personal gain and Vergere took the bait. "You know as well as I do what she taught me!" the Fosh woman hissed before charging at her opponent again.

She hacked down with both blades then brought it back up for another round of double slashing before concluding with yet another hack at Depa who dodged it all. Then just as Vergere was beginning to spin her blade over her head, Depa reached out with the Force and called Thracia's lightsaber to her. Smiling, she ignited it and raised in conjunction to her own to intercept both of Vergere's blades as they attempted to hack her down. She was always a little slower and sloppier with her use of the saberstaff than I was with my use of the traditional blade Depa regretted mentally.

Taking advantage of the exposure that Vergere's stance left, she kneed her in the stomach hard enough to push her back a couple centimeters. Then she positioned herself in such a manner that she was literally launched into the air at a diagonal angle, holding the blade tips out as she did so. She also held the hilts close to her chest in order to add a little more precision and ease into the next transition. Here, she positioned the blades in front of her back and arched her body so that the blades stood in front of her waist just in time to intercept a blow from Vergere there.

Using the momentum the arch gave her, Depa lifted her blades up and over her head then spun around so that her own blade would be whipped straight into Vergere's eyes if she hadn't caught it. Depa pushed the blade that caught her own aside and attempted to slice her in two with Thracia's blue blade though this was also intercepted by another of Vergere's light-green ones. However, Vergere managed to break off both crossings of blades and the two of them merely exchanged blows with Vergere spinning and hacking and Depa stabbing and slashing in long arcs. Then Depa began gaining the advantage with her continuous effort on Vergere's defenses combined with some bursts of Pyrokinesis.

It was here that Depa began to notice the tendrils that wrapped and even went into Vergere's hands began to heat up. Those creatures seem to be susceptible to heat, I think I will keep it up and see if it helps her snap out of this Depa thought to herself. She continued to attack with Pyrokinesis and Force Lightning, realizing that dry, burning heat killed these snakes. Chunks melted away but still Depa could see her fierce desire to be rid of her old friend, the desire apparently her own.

Using Jar'Kai to fend off Vergere's attacks whenever she couldn't use her Force powers against her. The snakelike creatures in her hands eventually died, slithering out of little holes in Vergere's hand and burned up. But Vergere still continued, likely because the creatures had already taken their full effect on her or else she genuinely wanted to kill Depa Billaba. However, as more lightsaber blows were exchanged, Depa began to observe a change in the patterns of her old friend's behavior.

_No, I can't let her think I'm being merciful to her. I must push harder as my Mistress would want!_ she exclaimed to herself. And that was just what she did: she pushed so hard that she almost dislocated her shoulders but managed to make Vergere give several feet of ground away. It was then that Depa decided to use more Force powers than lightsaber technique against the avian woman. First, she attacked with a burst of Force Destruction which her friend dodged by leaping above the power wave as it crashed into a pillar behind her, crumbling it and sending the pieces down the tower.

Then Vergere replied with a wave of Force Lightning that Depa absorbed before reflecting it back at her. The Fosh couldn't do anything short of a barrier against it and when the lightning passed over her, she tried again only to have the same result occur where Depa absorbed and reflected. Then Depa went on the offensive again, watching as Vergere leapt for one final attack with her saberstaff. However, Depa managed to catch this with both of her lightsabers and even made many sweeping arcs with each blade.

Then suddenly, her luck turned for the better and she managed deflect with her own blade and use Thracia's to bisect Vergere's sabestaff. After that, she pommeled her in the face with the same lightsaber and threw her up against a pillar with the Force before applying Force Crush on her. When Vergere showed resistance and even surprised her with a sudden burst of telekinesis, Depa was harsh. Instead of letting her run off and escape after letting her go, Depa threw her former friend against the pillar again and then accumulated energy before releasing it as Kinetite.

The result was Vergere being smashed right through the pillar with the Force and send spiraling to the base of the Citadel, several meters below. Depa slowly walked to the edge and watched as Vergere disappeared, due to the height of her fall, before her very eyes. Tears of remorse shined in her eyes before rolling out and following Vergere down the shaft of the tower as if wanting to be with her. The fallen Jedi herself knew how much she wanted Vergere to return with her to the galaxy that had seen both their births and to the Jedi Temple they were both raised in from very young ages.

She was even tempted to the point of extending a foot over the edge of the tower and almost leaping after her. However, she pulled herself back in and turned to leave the platform of the Citadel spire. Unfortunately, Yuuzhan Vong soldiers started pacing up the stairs to where she was in an attempt to stop her from leaving, likely planning to imprison her. Smiling, Depa was amazed at the simplicity of her escape which was just simply to jump over the platform edge in front of her and slow her fall.

_I'm sorry Vergere, I wish we could have taken you back home. There are many who still missed you even after I was put into the coma_ she thought to herself sadly. When she finally landed at the bottom of the Citadel base, she made her escape quick so as not to be tempted to find her. As it would turn out, it was probably for the better that she didn't try considering the soldiers attacking her.

**Awakening from the effects** of the Insanity, Vergere found herself in terrible pain and falling from the top of the Citadel. _How in the hell did I get here and why am I in pain?_ she demanded to herself. But she suspected why: Nom Anor had put her in the insanity and then had her fight against someone who also could use the Force like her. Who could it have been, seeing as Onimi wouldn't dare turn against her now nor have the power to defeat her?

Deciding she would worry about that later, she decided to focus on the issue at hand of saving herself from her fall. Though it hurt her to do so, she called upon the power of telekinesis to slow down her fall and make it hurt less when she landed than she knew it already would. Using occasional burst, she slowed her fall only to have to do it again when it picked up deadly momentum. She would have done better were it not for the pains and aches in her body which were likely from an attack by a Jedi.

But what would a Jedi be doing all the way here and why would they come? Were they a search party sent by the Council to find Vergere, only discovering her location just now? Who knew what it was that caused this to happen for the old Fosh who had no friends that knew about her status? Unless there was someone who had left the Order and continued chasing her down or was an old Padawan of Thracia.

But then there was another possibility: what if it was Master Windu or his former apprentice, Depa Billaba? Truly, she hoped that it was Depa or Mace though the former was the more excitable idea than the latter. _I will enjoy the possibility of Master Windu coming to my rescue though not if Depa has somehow perished since we last met_ she told herself silently. Finally, when she knew that she would be safe even if she didn't use telekinesis, she gave into her pain and went out.

This was especially so after she had finally landed on a pile of rocks that did nothing to soften her fall or prevent her from falling into blackness. But just before letting herself succumb, Vergere began a Force Trance that would see her heal slowly though she would remain comatose while doing so. When her limp, but living, body was eventually found by a search party sent by Onimi and placed into medical care to advance her healing. However, it would not advance it enough to make her useful to him again nor to any visitor she would have from then on.

Thus, Onimi decided best to keep his Fosh ally a secret, never letting anyone know that she was still alive after the attack. Whoever defeated her will be likely to come after me now, as well. _If that happens, who knows what could happen to the success of my plans_ he told himself. However, as he would find out soon enough, there were those with other intentions for him.

**"So let me get** this straight, you extorted this woman through her apprentice, forcing the latter woman to fight an old friend of hers to persuade Arden to revive me?" Quoreal asked Nom. The Intendant nodded solemnly and held no regret for what he had done, even voicing as much to him. "Sometimes, to get what you want, you have to do what must be done in order to achieve it. That goes for all things that one may desire in this life of the material good and the lust for sexual union," he added.

"You would know nothing of sexual union, you don't even have the capacity for sexual union yourself thanks to your status," Quoreal said, mocking the remark. "I do not now, true, but I once did and I produced four sons and three daughters from those old unions," Nom replied. "Your former status notwithstanding, it was a shameful strategy and it's amazing it succeeded," Quoreal stated. "And may I ask what gives you to capacity to speak of strategy considering your religious background?" Nom asked.

"Just because I chose to accept my religious past does not mean that I wasn't trained for military purposes like any other Supreme Overlord. I underwent the very same training that Shimrra did and underwent the warrior codes that Shimrra adheres to now," Quoreal answered. "Very well, milord, what is the next move if you are so brilliant?" Nom inquired. "You will invite Shimrra to visit your home and explain to him that you had an interesting experiment to show him," Quoreal began.

_I don't think I am going to enjoy where this is going_ Arden thought to herself silently. _Nor do I think you'll enjoy what he has to say next_ the voice of the Talisman admitted. Just before she could ask what the voice meant when it said that, Quoreal continued. "Since Shimrra has an official route he takes to everyone's houses, I will hide along the route in question, lying in wait.

"Arden and her apprentice will accompany me on this mission, assuming this apprentice hasn't been killed, and wipe out the escort for me. Considering their powers and the fact that I need Shimrra alone, they will be their duty. And when he is finally alone, I will reveal myself and attack him with the women covering the rear and overwhelming him," he continued. "That is your grand plan?" an unfamiliar voice chimed in.

Arden was the first to turn and see that it was Depa, returned from her battle at the Citadel which appeared to have shaken her up a bit. "Not an unusually difficult one for the likes of you, I trust?" Quoreal replied, suspecting that it was the apprentice who came in. "Shouldn't be, we've killed Yuuzhan Vong before and we can do it again," Depa replied. The tone of her reply indicated that she had already deduced that the man with glowing orange eyes before her was Quoreal and didn't like him.

"Good, we can use every shred of strength that we can get but in the meantime, Nom... I have use for your skills in the political arena: I need allies for my return if I am to regain it," Quoreal said. "What would you have me do, Majesty?" Nom asked. "What I just said: gather allies and especially traditionalists that are still very much active and desire to have a return to their ways," Quoreal replied.

"And why would anyone support a Supreme Overlord that's technically dead thanks to the rise of another, stronger one?" Depa demanded. "Watch your tongue, young woman or you may not make it out of this alive," Quoreal warned. "Let me talk with my apprentice, it would seem as though she is not in the mood for things that seem- is this correct?- simple strategies," Arden suggested. Quoreal and Nom nodded, deciding to continue strategy talking while Arden counseled Depa and calmed her.

"Is something wrong, apprentice?" Arden asked. "Vergere attacked me most willingly when I arrived to rescue her. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that we were once friends in the Jedi Temple. Our Masters were close to each other and often went on missions together, getting to know each other slowly and carefully," Depa answered.

"Many of my friends turned on me when I decided to side with Xendor though most didn't. I am sorry for the loss that was placed upon you," Arden stated. "There's no reason for me to think that she's dead but then, I threw her over a meters high tower so I guess we'll see," Depa replied. "If it is the Will of the Force that we meet your friend again then we shall, I promise," Arden said, reassuring her apprentice.

"I hope it is the will of the Force that we find her and that she will be on better terms with us, this time around. Who knows what I would do if we weren't when we faced again," Depa admitted. "My warning to you now, apprentice, is that if you have to fight her again then you must not hold back from killing her. She will not show the kindness you wish to show her if she is now your enemy," Arden warned.

Depa nodded and thanked her Master for that bit of wisdom which always cheered her up. "Ready to return to the committee meeting to kill a deity in mortal flesh?" Arden asked with a smile. "No deity has mortal flash, Shimrra is no more immortal than his Intendant or his predecessor," Depa replied before saying that she was ready. Giggling, Arden pulled her back into the meeting where Quoreal had managed to create a perfect plan that was now ready for execution.

**Gazing upon the broken** form of the Fosh avian known as Vergere, Onimi had to admit that he was deeply troubled by what had happened. One moment, she was domineering and omnipotent in his eyes but in the next, she was a shallow shell of her former self. _Can it be that easy to break someone so powerful so quickly and if so, why hadn't I done it sooner?_ he asked to himself silently. He couldn't say for certain whether or not he felt grief for the woman who had been there when no one else was.

In fact, he could hardly say he ever felt emotion for anyone nowadays though he might have said otherwise, twenty-five years ago. Had he been asked how he felt then, he might have admitted to feeling distraught at what happened to her. However, now that he looked back on what he had been before he met her all those years before, he had to admit he was somewhat disappointed. Why had one who had been rejected as he had feel such emotions when someone gave him a second chance?

Was it some pathetic hope that perhaps, he could find some normalcy in the insanity caused by his deformities and his insatiable curiosity for the unknown? Could it have been that he was so lonely that he needed companionship of some sort? Was that why he married his wife even though she was given to him as a cruel joke by the other members of the Court? He didn't think he ever knew nor would ever know in the future until it was too late to share this knowledge with his kin.

But whoever the women from his vision were, he had the feeling that he would encounter them and they might reveal something that would enlighten him. He hoped it wasn't in the manner that he had been seeing in his visions of a green beam throwing him into a dark void behind him. The way it looked to him was that it would destroy him but he couldn't be sure just from a single, unconnected vision. Or were the visions he had been experiencing more connected than he gave them credit for being?

After all, something remained a mystery to him: what did Nom Anor and Quoreal have to do with it? Quoreal was dead and Nom was an unintimidating Intendant of the Elite Class. Why would they be involved with these mysterious human women who came to his world? He didn't like the indications this gave him and he hoped there was something he could do about it soon.


	10. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

When Shimrra began his day, almost none of it seemed to make sense: first he was invited to Nom Anor's estate for business pertaining to the Elite. Then he was told by Onimi that he had sensed abnormal activity in that Force Power of his, including Vergere ending up comatose. He also told him of a vision he had of two women in black destroying him and attacking Shimrra himself. _What is it about these women that has my Court Jester fleeing for his life?_ Shimrra asked silently.

"I would recommend not accepting Nom Anor's invitation even if it costs you a little respect amongst the Elite," Onimi stated. "And risk losing their resources?" Shimrra asked. "The Elite are fools, all of them, it'll be a matter of time before there is no further need for them and it's approaching. And rapidly approaching at that, if you must know," Onimi answered.

Smiling, Shimrra was comforted by that thought: soon his vision of an autocratic government for the Yuuzhan Vong would be complete. He would dub every last Intendant a Shamed One and take full responsibility for the governance of his people except for those who surrendered to his new power. Personally, he preferred Nom Anor lived long enough to grovel before his feet and be one of the people he spared for enslavement in his new government. But then, perhaps that would be decided when he went for his visit to the Intendant's homestead with the desire to secure his loyalty for all time.

"I am not phased in the slightest by mere visions and suspicions, I will accept Nom Anor's invitation even if you believe the man to be foolish," Shimrra stated after thinking about it. "Milord, I warn you one last time that it may be too dangerous for you!" Onimi exclaimed. "That's the problem there: you don't even know if it will be dangerous for me or not," Shimrra replied. "But sir!" Onimi began.

"I will hear no more on this matter: if there is anything meaning to attack me along my route to Nom Anor, I will find out for certain. There are times when I doubt your wisdom, you know, and times like that are times when I need to discern the facts for myself. Now be gone before I desire to find a new Court Jester and cast you back into the slums from whence you came!" Shimrra ordered. "Yes Master, as you wish," Onimi grumbled under his breath.

_You got gall speaking to me like that after all I have done for you. You wouldn't have lasted a minute against Quoreal were it not for my powers enhancing your strength_ he thought. _Sometimes, I wonder if you forget yourself and if so, why_ Shimrra asked himself, disappointedly. At that point, Onimi retreated to his headquarters and decided to meditate and see what he could discern.

It was his hope that by the time he had information to give to his puppet for certain, it wasn't too late to stop whatever these visions spoke of from coming true. If Shimrra perished, Onimi's aspirations for great political power would be revealed and he would be executed before he could fight. He didn't want to be separated from his pawn but in this instance, he had absolutely no choice. The independence that remained in Shimrra had fought back in this instance and won a small victory over him, after all.

**"Quoreal, Shimrra should be** beginning his march to my Palace shortly. If you wish to stop him before he reaches my place, you might want to position yourself soon," Nom stated. "Very well, then that is what we shall do," Quoreal said, gesturing for Arden Lyn and Depa. "You know what to do, right, apprentice?" Arden asked, a question answered by Depa nodding.

"The two of you shall head out first in order to secure that I can walk about safely to my position," Quoreal said. It wasn't a question, it was an order and they knew better than to defy him on this matter. Not because they couldn't kill him but because his allies had ways of making sure that they never got home. Scanning the area with the Talisman, which had become accustomed to seeking out Yuuzhan Vong at this point, Arden nodded as a signal that he was safe to proceed to the ambush point.

Breathing his first breath of fresh air since Shimrra had nearly killed him all those years ago, he hesitated but then continued, marching in demonstration of his dominance. _We revived him and this is the thanks we get from him and Nom for our troubles? I ought to strangle the two of them, right now_ Depa thought but didn't say. Arden looked back and made sure that her face told her apprentice that she had heard that thought in her own head and didn't want her acting on it.

The last thing they needed was a dead Intendant and thousands of angry people running up and down the cities in a desperate attempt to destroy them. And when the Talisman glowed in acknowledgement of reading the thought, Arden was especially vigilant. Jumping onto the roofs of opposite buildings, they ran along the path to the ambush positions, being sure to be quick to get there. Time was of the essence and the sooner that they arrived, the sooner they could begin attacking the soldiers accompanying Shimrra before taking him on with the aid of Quoreal.

Arden created another sword out of the scabbard of her first blade so that she could use Jar'Kai and not be hindered by holding onto the scabbard itself. Depa, on the opposite side, also readied her lightsaber for use for the first time in the fifteen years that they had been frozen. Now, it was only a matter of time before the escort came through and they could work their magic on it. _Patience Depa, you will have your chance to avenge your friend's destruction yet_ Arden thought silently.

**Quoreal patiently waited at** the ambush point that he had planned out beforehand, amphistaff tied around his arm with its neck in his hand. He also had two Nang huls, two Razor Bugs, two Snap Bugs, and a single Blast Bug ready for use against his enemy. As if that wasn't good enough, he had acquired a Plasma Eel, a Plaeryin Bol, and five Magma Pebbles that he would use on vehicles. The Intendant planned on adding more weapons to the arsenal, Firejelly for torture and a Fighting Claw for combat.

However, Quoreal was not sure he would have much use for the latter though he could think of several reasons why he would include the former. Firejelly and Plaeryin Bol were both good at what they did and would serve him well when torturing Shimrra, slowly and painfully. And as he thought about it, he looked to the bag on his belt which contained some Tokhlor Tallow. He wondered why Nom Anor would ask him to bring that along if it was going to stink but he had requested it nonetheless.

As if that wasn't strange enough, Nom Anor had also persuaded Quoreal to stick a tooth of Irksh poison in one of the gums where his real teeth had fallen. Truly, Nom Anor has gotten more and more bizarre since we last saw each other as allies amongst the Elite Quoreal thought to himself. While he could admit he would not voice this until he was ready to do so, he began to wonder if Nom knew something that he didn't. It was a worry that would continue to eat at him at least until he had finally achieved his revenge against Shimrra.

It wouldn't be long now before Arden Lyn and her apprentice would begin destroying members of the escort that the Supreme Overlord had handpicked before leaving. Once they had given him the signal that he could proceed, he would start by using the Tallow to catch his nemesis off-guard. Let's see if Shimrra is foolish enough to take the bait even without his precious Onimi Quoreal thought. The taste of revenge was getting sweeter and sweeter in his tongue until it became overwhelming he had to spit a little bit of the taste out of his mouth just to sustain himself in position.

**Something was not right** about the path that Shimrra had chosen to take to Nom Anor's residence. It was too quiet for his taste and when the environment was too quiet for him, he was trained to be especially alert at those points. Perhaps, Onimi was right about letting him go with Shimrra to this little appointment that Nom Anor had arranged with the Master of the Yuuzhan Vong himself. The last time something like this happened, Quoreal had been planning an ambush for me Shimrra observed.

That ambush had cost Shimrra his wife and had almost cost Shimrra his own existence. This was a mirror of that environment all those years ago and he had to admit he was becoming edgy. He wondered if this was something similar happening to him again since his "escort" was disappearing. It started with one man who was pulled by some invisible force into an alleyway, never to be seen again.

When he sent two men to go investigate, they were pulled in the opposite direction into yet another alleyway to never be seen again. What kind of sorcery is this? Shimrra demanded to himself angrily. Slowly but surely, the numbers were beginning to disappear and he readied himself to defend against the source of this power. Except there was one problem: not only could he pinpoint a source and attack it with a blast from his plasma eel but it stopped when all of his men were killed off.

Whoever is behind this is going to pay when I get my hands on them! I'll rip them apart, I'll skin the parts, and keep the bones for myself! he vowed silently. "Shimrra, I have been waiting for you!" a voice said from behind him. The Supreme Overlord paused, uncertain that he wasn't hearing things and slowly turned around, ready to whip out the eel at a moment's notice.

In villa above him, stood a man who looked vaguely familiar but those glowing orange eyes did nothing to help him pin a face. "I'm not sure I've made your acquaintance, just who are you and what do you want with me?" he asked. "Truly, I am surprised you could have forgotten me so easily after you betrayed me, left me for dead, and usurped my position as Supreme Overlord," the warrior answered. Shimrra wasn't sure he heard right: how could Quoreal have returned, alive and well, from the wounds that he had had inflicted on him during their final duel for supremacy of the Yuuzhan Vong?

What sorcery was it that allowed this man to return from the dead or was he ever dead? Then there was the third possibility: what if this man was just a sham, imitating his nemesis? "If you are Quoreal, how did I defeat you?" he asked, determined to find out the truth. "Ha, that's easy enough: you used your amphistaff to open my chest before you put your face into my heart.

"You then bit a chunk of it off and spat it back out before calling the duel done with since I wasn't supposed to have survived the wounds you inflicted. Nor did I think you would survive the wounds I inflicted upon you before I succumbed to the darkness of death," his enemy replied. "It is you, how was that possible?" Shimrra demanded. "You forget that I warned you that I have allies more than willing to help me in places you wouldn't expect," Quoreal replied.

_He was damned right about that but even so, it's a miracle that he was healed so well. I bet he kept the eyes and facial scars to remind him of what he went through. That isn't unlike Quoreal to use some of his scars as reminders of his trials_ Shimrra observed mentally. "Maybe so but I defeated you before and I can defeat you again," he said aloud.

Quoreal chuckled and told him not to be so certain and proved it when two women came out of the shadows, one of them with a strange orange-glow on her blade. The other had two metal blades that were crescent shaped and both of them wielded them to the same effect as his amphistaff. So ferocious and merciless was the attack that it was almost overwhelming. Then Quoreal joined into the fray and it became all too much for him: he was instantly overwhelmed and rendered unconscious.

All it took was the destruction of the entire escort as well as the help of two black-robed women to put Shimrra's dynasty under its greatest stress to date. _Revenge will be mine but it will be slow and painful before the end. Thank you Nom Anor, you have given me the tools to complete my return to power_ Quoreal thought as he carried Shimrra over his shoulders to a secluded shelter. The woman followed behind him like the ghosts they were becoming with each day they delved into their powers.

**Onimi sensed the women** from his vision again but this time, they worked to overwhelm Shimrra with the aid of another Yuuzhan Vong. A closer look showed a face that looked like Quoreal though scarred and with glowing orange eyes that glowed brighter whenever the warrior was angry. _How is it possible for Quoreal to survive his injuries and become an active fighter again?_ he asked himself. It didn't make sense to him nor did he think he wanted to find out how it could have happened at this time or any future time.

Nonetheless, he knew one thing was certain: Shimrra was in danger and the women, combined with possibly Quoreal, were somehow involved in his peril. There was only one thing to do now that that was decided, find out who they were and why they had come and attacked the Supreme Overlord. He couldn't count on Warmaster Czulkang or Intendant Anor to help him, they looked down on him enough already. Nor could he count on any member of the Elite coming to back him up either so this was purely a mission of his own wits and cunning, fighting alone against an unknown enemy.

What could possibly be so special about these women and why in all of Yuuzhan'tar should they spark his interest? Was it because they carried the Force just like he did, were they wiser in its use than he was? This curiosity combined with the need to save his pawn that he could not turn down an opportunity to know the meaning of his visions. Giving his blessings to a swift recovery on Vergere's part, he marched out of the infirmary and began making his way to where he sensed these phantoms.

As he turned again and again through the winding streets, their presence grew stronger as he drew closer to where they were. _Will these two have more experience than I can handle? Were they the ones who comatosed Vergere and left me to be on my own against them? It is a neat trick if that was their intent but not one that will work against me in the slightest_ he vowed.

He would save Shimrra even if it killed him to do so and he wasn't about to let a couple women stop him from doing that. But something about these women was still scary enough to throw him off and he didn't know why. Perhaps it was their likeliness to have more experience in using the Force than him, perhaps more than enough to kill him while he was away from the portal. The will of the Force would reveal itself to him when he finally faced them much as he hated surprises up ahead.

**"Still as pathetic and** weak as ever! And they've called you Supreme Overlord all these years!" Quoreal mocked. "You know, when I bit off a chunk of your heart, I should have bitten off the whole thing, instead," Shimrra faintly replied. Anger saw Quoreal send another dose of Bol poison at his enemy, agonizing him and causing him to scream upon first contact. "I will make sure you stay awake long enough to feel every single shred of pain I plan to inflict upon you.

"Your death will be indescribably excruciating, you will suffer as I have been forced to suffer all these years. I might even keep you on the brink of death, suspended in a tube and forced to live as a vegetable as I was forced to do because of you!" Quoreal vowed passionately. _Where is Onimi when I need him?_ Shimrra asked himself. However, he was not about to panic because he was without his Court Jester, in fact, he still had a few tricks before he gave up on waiting for Onimi.

"All these years as a vegetable and when your mind is finally healed, this is the best you can do?" Shimrra asked, laughing at him. "Trust me you foolish little boy, I have just begun to even do my least, nevermind my best," Quoreal answered. His chuckle proved that he wasn't lying and Shimrra suddenly began to fear for his life as Quoreal probably intended. _Oh boy, let's see what else does he have in mind: higher doses of poison for me to take in?_ Shimrra asked himself.

However, he would come to regret that mental comment as soon as he saw Quoreal pull a fighting dagger out but instead of attaching it to him, he stuck it into a bit of magma rock. Shimrra knew immediately that Quoreal was heating it until it was a white-hot bit of blade. With plans to place the sharper side on his skin, cauterizing wounds instantly and causing him tremendous pain.

As he looked around, he saw the women that had attacked him again and he had to admit he found it silly that he would use his facial expressions to demand help. One of them, the one who had had the orange blade that was now shut off, was the only one that made any gestures toward helping him. However, the one who had had the swords earlier stopped her and shook her head and as he observed by following the lips, he could tell she was saying that their job was done and they couldn't help him. _Did he pay you for this or was there something else going on?_ Shimrra wondered as Quoreal placed the white-hot blade on his soft skin.

But even the distraction was not great enough to prevent him from crying out at the pain of the heat of the blade. "I will make sure you stay awake long enough to feel every single cut like all the other tortures, I promise," Quoreal vowed, laughing sadistically. But as he returned his gaze to the women, he saw the leader turnaround for some strange reason and unsheathe a little bit of her sword for battle. He wondered what it could be though he did hope that it was Onimi coming to his rescue, at last.

**Nom Anor was deep** in thought about what he had done, wondering if he should be regretting it right about now. Czulkang had already told him that he should never have blackmailed the sorceresses with Vergere if he had to blackmail, at all. "It will come back to haunt you Nom Anor, even if they don't kill you in the end," he added. "Just tell me when our city lands on Zonama Sekot and I promise I will get them on their way back to Admiral Thrawn," Nom replied.

"We'll be arriving in three days and we will be there for six weeks, you will return them to Thrawn as per the terms of the truce, yes?" Czulkang inquired. "Yes I will, they have done what I have wished and they will be rewarded according to their own silly desires," Nom explained, annoyedly. "I will have my son supervise their return and if you do anything foolish, he will slice off your head," Czulkang warned.

Nom rubbed his neck in fright of that possibility and made sure that Czulkang knew that he was going to do it. "And you will know that Tsavong will not hold back if he does have to kill you, yes?" Czulkang asked. Nom nodded and asked Czulkang why he was so protective of those women even if it would obey the terms of the truce. "Because I see the innocence in Arden as well as the kind, maternal love of Depa and I wish for them both to make it back.

"One cannot exist without the other and be happy. Actually, I think they are the best embodiments of human emotion that you can ever expect to get," Czulkang answered. "And why is that?" Nom inquired. Czulkang laughed and mocked Nom Anor's rational, scientific understanding of most other things before explaining.

But when he did, what he said astounded the Intendant more than he would have appreciated, having had to put emotion out of the equation. "In order to understand human emotion, you will need to first understand Yuuzhan Vong emotion, the way we feel. I think you will find, when you let your balls grow back, that there is good reason to feel emotion here and there. There is a place for your emotionless, rational point of view but it is almost seldom and far between," he said.

"And you would know this, because?" Nom demanded. "Because I have always been allowed the privilege to feel emotion and can tell you from experience," Czulkang replied.


	11. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

Quoreal was soon bored with torturing Shimrra but that didn't mean he wouldn't be back. In fact, he stationed Arden Lyn and Depa to watch over his prize until he returned from where he went._ He's likely going to Nom Anor to request more torture supplies_ Depa thought to herself silently. But when asked about what he would do, the Talisman disproved what Arden's apprentice had said. In fact, it told her that Quoreal actually intended to think of ways he could worsen the pain for his nemesis.

_Certainly sounds normal of him at this point_ Arden stated telepathically. _Truly, the man has a dizzying intellect for someone who's been nearly dead for nearly thirty years. I sense the hand of Onimi in the outcome of the duel between Shimrra and Quoreal_ the Talisman replied. _What do you mean by that?_ Arden asked.

_Shimrra has been a puppet of Onimi ever since they met, seven years before the former would overthrow Quoreal in what appeared to be fair combat. But a power Onimi knew even though Vergere had not arrived on the scene was Force Valor. You know what it does from being a wielder of it yourself but he used it for ill intent: political gain, in other words. Be careful when you and Depa finally face him, he is not to be underestimated_ it answered.

_We're not here to underestimate beings we're about to fight, we're only here to attempt to remove them on behalf of their enemies before going home. All we want now is to go home whether you're aware of that or not_ Arden said. _Oh no worries, I was just as aware of that as I am that Onimi will be arriving any minute to save his puppet from certain death_ it retorted. Arden withdrew her sword and transformed her scabbard into a duplicate blade at that point, ready to fight.

"What is it, Mistress?" Depa asked. "The Talisman says Onimi will be here any minute to save Shimrra," Arden answered. Depa withdrew her lightsaber just as quickly as Arden had withdrawn her weapons and vowed to guard their rear while Arden covered the front. Arden nodded in agreement before adding that they should walk around in a circle to cover every millimeter of ground.

Depa nodded her own agreement and that was just what they did as Shimrra laughed, saying that they would be no match for Onimi's power when he arrived. "He helped me defeat Quoreal and rule the Yuuzhan Vong with an iron hand. What makes you think you stand a chance with your pretty weapons against him?" Shimrra asked. That was when Arden turned around and told him exactly what made them think that they stood a chance against the Court Jester.

"We know what power it is that he used to help you win the throne for we have it ourselves," she said. Shimrra shut up at that point, gulping at the realization that their confidence meant that they had more experience in wielding this power than Onimi did. What he hoped was that even in his inexperience, Onimi's own potential was great enough to withstand their combined strength. And that was when he lunged from the shadows and began his attack on the human women before Shimrra.

**"Sir, even by the** standards of the truce, the Yuuzhan Vong have been very quiet lately. Do you know what it might be that has them so silent?" a Chiss Ensign asked. "Yes, their floating city is headed for Zonama Sekot where they'll be landing for an annual festival, celebrating their survival in the war. It will also be a thanks offering to their gods for having protected them from my wrath, all those years ago," Thrawn answered, adding that they would be no threat.

"With due respect, how can we be sure, sir?" the Ensign, a rookie, asked. "May I remind you that I stated they do this _annually_? I have observed their movements, initially with a similar suspicion to you before I saw what they were doing. Then, as it continued, my suspicion transformed into tolerance but one that could be easily shattered if they violated the truce while on Zonama," the Admiral replied.

"But is it really wise to let them so near other allies of ours that have some of our essential supplies in exchange for what we trade with them every six months?" the Ensign inquired. "The Supreme Overlord mightn't like having to coexist with me peacefully but he does all the same. Remember that I could have very easily let the Ascendancy wipe them out without thought to a truce all those years ago. It was within their power and Shimrra respects that; besides, each year presents another possibility that they may have found someone I'm looking for and have her in their hospitals," he explained.

"And that someone would be?" the Ensign asked. "An ally of ours who nearly sacrificed her life for us but disappeared into the Void. If the Yuuzhan Vong haven't found her and kept her in for medical reasons all these years, then she is still lost in space along with her friend. I couldn't imagine how they would survive all these years without food or drink in their escape pod unless they tranced," Thrawn answered.

"'Tranced', sir?" the Ensign requested. "A Force power that allows anyone who wields it to slow their pulse as well as their metabolism to last months or even years at a time without resources. I have a feeling they used it to sustain themselves all these years though I still haven't found them," Thrawn replied. "They can survive the cold of space during that trance... quite impressive," the Ensign stated.

"Yes and I have a feeling that if anyone knows where they are, it would be Czulkang Lah, Warmaster of the Domain Lah. He was the last officer of the Yuuzhan Vong to have seen whether or not they escaped from the destruction of their cruiser," Thrawn agreed. "You would trust him, sir?" the Ensign asked. "Yes Ensign, I would," Thrawn answered with a face that said that would be all.

The Ensign nodded and left him be to continue thinking about how he would rescue Arden Lyn and Depa Billaba if they were still out there. Even after fifteen years of futile searching and constant negative results, he had never given up in his quest to bring their great powers back right under his thumb. He had very much enjoyed the way Arden had used Battle Meditation to annihilate an entire fleet of Yuuzhan Vong from his Command Center. So much so that he wished their Battle Meld to be back on his side for when he returned into the Known Galaxy to take it for himself.

But now, their time in space stood to thwart all that he had wished to gain, using them as his tool for conquest. The sooner he found them, the sooner he could persuade them to give their power to his cause and help him start ruling the galaxy that was his by right. Yet even with the certitude of victory at the thought of having their power, something chilled Thrawn to the bone. It promised only strife and defeat in the future and it was for his sake that it didn't threaten his ultimate goals.

**From the shadows and** with two amphistaffs at his disposal, Onimi lunged at the enemies that he had foreseen in many a vision and had likely comatosed Vergere. _They will pay for their insults against my goals for the Yuuzhan Vong and the galaxy they seek to conquer!_ he vowed silently. What he was most shocked about after making this stout vow was that the women had already been expecting him and began hammering him down with their combined bladework. "Impossible, how could you have known that I was coming?" he demanded.

"We sense many things in the Force, Court Jester and you happened to be one of them," the woman with the swords replied. "Sense? I thought non-Yuuzhan Vong had difficulty sensing us if they could do so at all," Onimi stated. "Oh we found a way around that, a way that is actually surprisingly simple," the one with the orange bladelike weapon spoke.

_Impossible, Vergere had to research for years before she found a way to sense me in the Force. How could these two have learned in a matter of days what took her years to master?_ he asked himself silently. "Either way, I will free my master from your clutches without regard as to what it takes," he said aloud. "Then you wouldn't mind if I joined the fray in favor of the women, would you little man?" an ominous voice asked him.

He heard the sound like someone falling from a great height and landing with a hard thud on their feet before turning around to see who approached. "It's been a long time, Onimi, how do I look for a once-dead Supreme Overlord?" the orange-eyed intruder asked before laughing. "You are... Quoreal?" Onimi asked, taking several seconds to register the magnitude of this return. "How is it that the humans say it... oh yeah, 'duh'," Quoreal mocked, laughing more.

"I don't care who these women are or how they revived you but you're going to pay for what you've done to Shimrra and that is a fact!" Onimi exclaimed. "Nobody except your puppet has ever beaten me before and combat is not exactly your talent on my terms. But if you'd like to be the first decapitated trophy I put in the collection, so be it," Quoreal replied calmly before attacking. First, he lunged with an amphistaff and a fighting dagger in hand, his attacks aggressive and without mercy.

The human women accompanying Quoreal treated Onimi no better as he was backed up into them and they began attacking him. Their fighting style was unlike anything he had seen before or what Vergere had told him of the Jedi Order's combat range. In fact, he was willing to bet these were either fallen Jedi or else genuine Sith Ladies that he was fighting. If that was the case, he knew that without Vergere's help, he would be no match for their might combined with Quoreal's vengeance.

So he resolved to use a Force Repulse on them and break the bonds that held Shimrra with a magma cutter he had stolen off a guard. Once the Supreme Overlord was freed, Onimi did the best he could to defend him until he was cleared away from the torture room. Then he himself beat a hasty retreat though he was surprised that his enemies did not give him pursuit. He wondered why although he had a strange feeling that they had other plans for the Supreme Overlord and his Court Jester.

**"No Ladies, let them** go," Quoreal stated. "With due respect sir, we could just finish them off now," Depa suggested. "The fun would not even start if we did that, we'll be patient for now. I have waited so many years for my revenge to play out to its fullest; I can wait a little while longer before it's fulfilled," he replied.

"I think I see what he means to do," Arden said. She didn't even need the Talisman to know what he was planning. "As we speak, Nom Anor is causing the beginnings of a revolution, toying with the beliefs of the traditionalist members of the Elite. They will think that Shimrra is a puppet of our Deception Goddess and will see me as a beacon of hope and justice," he explained.

"You mean to start a revolution... We were brought here by no will of ours and blackmailed into reviving you by Nom Anor, now you want us to take part in your revolution too? How needy can you people be!?" Depa demanded. "As needy as we wish and if you value the sight of your homeland, you will do as I say until I deem you fit for release, understood?" Quoreal ordered.

"You _dare_ order us!?" Arden demanded. Her eyes took on a light-green glow and she reached out with the Force to grab the inside of Quoreal's body, reaching for his vital organs. "I revived you with no help from my apprentice and I can take your life, just as easily. Watch how you speak to me and Depa," she warned before letting him go.

Depa couldn't believe that her Mistress would take on such an intimidating display of power before the former Supreme Overlord and even cringed at what could happen to her. She needed to tread carefully even if her powers did rival her Mistress' if she valued her one only ally in the Void. Then she heard her add something that restored hope and motivation into Depa's being which was needed. "We leave and come of our own will, on account of Czulkang Lah's protection, but because our code forbids us from leaving you when you have just begun to rise we will stay," Arden stated.

But she made it a point that he knew better than to trifle with her or Depa the way he already had ever again. "True that you have the power to kill me but I have the power to destroy you via my death if I wished. I could take your way home with me when you kill me, after all," Quoreal replied. Arden had nothing more to say there but she had the strangest feeling that it was probably for the better that she didn't speak anymore.

However, she did pull her apprentice into a separate room to discuss what they would need to do in order to get free. "No doubt about it, we'll need to call on the protection of Warmaster Czulkang Lah in order to get out alive. He's the only one with power to repel Quoreal off our path and bring us safely home," Arden stated. "But how do we know that he isn't on the side of Quoreal's revolution as opposed to helping Shimrra?" Depa asked.

Arden had to think about that one carefully, knowing full well that they probably couldn't trust anyone now. "I will consult the Talisman, it's the only trustworthy resource we have at our disposal," she said aloud. "How do we know the artifact can tell you anything? It tried to take possession of you before and it was as helpless as us before we obtained Vongsense," Depa asked.

"The Talisman knows what I know and has reconfigured its structural programming to adhere to the obtainment of Vongsense. It'll tell us whether Czulkang is with us or against us but you do have a point, I don't like consulting it anymore than you do," Arden answered. Because of Arden's natural attunement to the artifact, it wasn't long before she could hear the voice of it in her head once more._ Rest assured that Czulkang might officially be on the opposite side, but he is your ally in secret; he will help you leave if you truly desire it_ it answered when posed the question.

_So he'll be doing deals in the dark with us? Can't say that I'm anything short of honored and disappointed at the same time. His title would mean that he was better than that, one would think, but this revolution has brought on desperate times and you know what they say about that_ Arden replied. _That desperate times call for desperate measures, yes, my creator was amongst the first to bring that idea to life_ the Talisman agreed.

"The Talisman has spoken: Czulkang is on our side but not the side of Quoreal's revolution. Which may mean secret contact with his son Tsavong or some other sort of messenger in the future," Arden said. "If that's the case, perhaps there is hope left that we can defeat Onimi and go home quietly," Depa said. Arden nodded and admitted that the Domain Lah was their best hope in this cesspool of insanity that Nom Anor had forced them to create for him.

**Czulkang didn't like the** look of things when scouts brought back rumors of Onimi bringing in a wounded Supreme Overlord Shimrra. His guess was that Quoreal had been successfully resurrected and had tried to attack his old enemy in single combat with the aid of the women. _They wanted to go home and now, they're likely being forced to take part in a new revolution_ he thought to himself. Helpless as he was to back them out of the alliance without risking the people finding out his treasonous affairs with Nom Anor, he wasn't helpless to keep an eye for an opportunity to rescue them.

"Tsavong, can you please come here?" he asked. When his son finally arrived, Czulkang told him what he feared was brewing. "I think Quoreal will use Nom Anor to stir trouble on the political front and get some of the traditionalist Elite to join his revolution. When and if that happens, I want you to exile me from Domain Lah and cast me out as a Shamed One," Czulkang explained.

"But why and how would I be able to do that?" Tsavong asked, confused and very surprised. "The answer is simple: I will pass on the title of Head Warmaster to you and it must appear as though you're using the title to punish me for treasonous actions in years past. I need to be able to keep an eye on the human woman so that they can get home even if the rebellion falls," Czulkang answered. "You care for them and yet you hardly know them, why?" Tsavong inquired.

"Nom Anor blackmailed the one called Arden into resurrecting Quoreal by threat of her apprentice's death at the hands of Vergere. Now, he's allowed Quoreal to hold them hostage which goes against the truce and I must be able to rescue them before it's too late," Czulkang explained. "The lengths you'll go to in order to keep a promise are unrivaled, father," Tsavong stated. "Grand Admiral Thrawn defeated us in fair combat, I think it's safe we pay him respect for delivering his part," Czulkang said.

"Of course father, it always is safe to do that anyway," Tsavong agreed. Then he asked when the ceremony where he would be declared Head Warmaster would begin. "I already had it scheduled to occur on your thirty-seventh birthday which is two days from now. We'll be landing on Zonama Sekot the next day and all revolutionaries will be sure to escape to its jungles," Czulkang answered.

"You hope to escape with Arden and Depa to help them get home, don't you?" Tsavong guessed. "Yes, I intend to do that if at all possible," Czulkang admitted. "The great Czulkang Lah, disguised as a Shamed One. But someone will have to charge you for the treasonous act and bring credible evidence that you are guilty of it before the people buy into it," Tsavong observed aloud.

"You've learned well, my son. Evidence never lies but people do however, I have someone on the job of forging evidence of treason on my part to make it more believable," Czulkang affirmed. "So it's settled then: you'll go under the guise of a Shamed One to assist the human women. Then, regardless of the outcome of the revolution, you'll do what you can to get them home," Tsavong said.

"Yes and be sure to have a transport ready for my escape as well, I'm thinking about having them go on one of the rescuing parties Thrawn might send but I'll be stuck in the process. Unless, of course, you were willing to leave a gunship I can pilot back home or anything like that," Czulkang said. "I will see if I can do that during the course of the revolution but I make no promises: it could be weeks before I could find you transportation of any kind," Tsavong warned. "Good enough for me," Czulkang replied.

"Same place as usual for the landing of our city in Zonama?" Tsavong asked after a moment of silence. "Yes, we'll be having the Festival in that very same area, beings of all sorts will be invited to see. But if Quoreal is planning his revolution around that time, it could mean trouble for the other natives," Czulkang answered. "I will do my best to keep you updated on what is going on in this side of the fighting as well but that's another one I can't guarantee," Tsavong stated.

"That won't be necessary, Quoreal and Nom Anor should have spies arranged to do that for you by then. Do not worry, I will do what I can to adjust to the circumstances I'm in whilst with the Revolution," Czulkang said. "I'm not worried about your adaptability father, I'm worried about theirs," Tsavong stated. "I shall do what I can to ease their travel through the worst of the storm that is sure to come, don't worry about that either," Czulkang ordered his son.

_He is strong-willed for an old, wizened man. Most this age would have quit while they were ahead but I guess he isn't ahead yet which is why he isn't most men_ Tsavong thought. The thought put a smile on his face that his father wouldn't notice but it was a smile for him nevertheless. Perhaps, his father was where he had gotten his own strong will and his determination to prevail at any costs.

Though not the ultimate end of a Warmaster, a strong will was the first step in the path to become a skilled member of the caste. He just hoped that when he finally received his promotion, he could fill in his father's shoes whilst still having a little glory to spare for himself; that would be satisfying.


	12. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

The floating city of Shimrra's Glory was moving closer and closer to Zonama Sekot and its landing point below the atmosphere, each day bringing Thrawn more anxiety. True that this festival they came to celebrate was one that he had seen before and one he enjoyed very much. But still, something told him that things were going to take a dark turn once the city touched down on Zonama Sekot. Despite his constant reassurance via keeping Arden Lyn's portrait clean and undamaged, the artistry still possessing his appreciation despite recent additions to his collection of cultural art.

Those didn't have the same joy and passion that he had seen in Arden's painting and as if that wasn't good enough, he had come to appreciate that each artwork he collected came with a code. The fact that he had not been able to crack the code Arden imprinted into this paint said something about his joy. It also said something about how the true meaning, even with what he had already discovered, still eluded him. Was it a memo for her to not use the Talisman too much or else suffer Xendor's fate?

Could it be something that he had indirectly told her to write in when he told her to paint a certain stroke on the pink background or another on the Jedi corpses at the bottom of the portrait? He had yet to understand the culture that she had lived under and needed her firsthand experience in this. Perhaps, something she might say to him would clue him in on what to do when deciphering the code of the painting that he had only obtained portions of. But he also began to wonder if he was meant to decipher the whole thing even with Arden's help via hints and clues.

Was this supposed to be the one problem that his calculating, unstoppable mind would not be able to solve? If so, it would be the greatest irony of his life: he could decode other works of art as well as any and all messages they came with except for this. In fact, he breached that once you understood a culture, you understood the enemy you would be facing and how they fought. But if he couldn't understand this, how could he expect to be prepared for her fighting him if she returned and chose to?

Sure that he was trying his best to find her and rescue her in order to restore the alliance they had but it had been fifteen long years since he had begun. What if she thought that he had forsaken her now and hated him with the dark, fiery passion she hated the Jedi for the death of her husband? Arden Lyn was always the woman with few friends and plenty of enemies. Perhaps, it was her destiny to always stand alone in the end... or was it?

**Smug in his victory of** having used Quoreal to disgrace Shimrra in single combat, Nom Anor now had some political leverage with which to win some Elite fervor for the revolution that was to come. "Friends of old, strangers from new parts, you have been summoned here to answer a growing threat. Shimrra's predecessor Quoreal, it seems, has been revived and intends to take revenge," he explained. "But Quoreal was killed in single combat by Overlord Shimrra nearly thirty years ago, how could it be possible for him to return now!?" a traditionalist named Goliath demanded.

"Shimrra is devious and deceptive, perhaps he was under the influence of the Deception Goddess?" Nom Anor suggested. "How dare you suggest that of a Supreme Overlord!" Goliath exclaimed. "Why not? It has happened before has it not?" Nom inquired.

"He makes an excellent point: Supreme Overlords have been manipulated into serving the Goddess of Deception and in turn, have almost led our people to ruin. If Quoreal has survived the duel, it is proof of one of two things: either Shimrra won through cheating or Quoreal went easy on him," another traditionalist named Judas interjected. "But why would Quoreal hand over rulership of our people to a lowly man like Shimrra and his even lowlier jester Onimi?" Goliath asked. "Perhaps it was to go on a mission to find the salvation of our people and Shimrra filled the vacant seat," Nom replied.

_Fools, they do not realize the truth as I do but no matter. The longer they remain blind the more I can build up momentum for the revolution_ Nom told himself silently. "I would assume that would be right: Shimrra has always been less honest a man than his predecessor. The Domain of my father and his father shall assist Quoreal in his restoration to the throne," Judas stated.

Seventeen more Domains of the Elite, which also commanded several Warmaster domains and several thousand soldiers each, followed the ancient Judas' example. Even Goliath submitted to the fervor that Judas and Nom Anor were stirring in the chamber of the Elite. "Then I propose this deal for Shimrra: if he overcomes Quoreal this time, we shall return under his fold without quarrel. That is assuming we're all still alive by then however, our descendants shall remember this deal," Nom began.

"And if Shimrra fails?" Goliath asked. "Then we lop off his head and reinstate Quoreal, of course. And those who do not return fealty to Quoreal will also have their heads lopped off and crushed by those who become or remain loyal," Nom answered. "Either way, we have no more massive a stake in this than our lives... I like this little game that you wish to play already," Goliath stated.

"You flatter me sir, is there any other who wishes to send their Domains to the cause of reinstating Quoreal? It is already clear that Shimrra has deceived us somehow on the details of what happened in that duel," Nom asked the rest of the Elite in the chamber. "We shall stand by him to the end!" shouted an anonymous Elite who rallied the others surrounding him. In fact, the whole northern part of their chamber was against joining the return of Quoreal to power but Nom supposed it was fine.

_Regardless of who wins, many in here will be dead before the end of the fight_ Nom told himself sinisterly. "Before we get into a massive debate, let us all put it into a vote. All in favor of joining Quoreal's revolution, say aye and those who are against say nay," he suggested aloud. Of the forty-two Elite members that there were, the vote actually ended up being 21-21, perfectly even including his clan.

The more the merrier but Nom was content and said that those who were in favor would meet Quoreal outside the city once it landed on Zonama and prepare for war. To his surprise, of all the Domains that were against Shimrra's deposition, Domain Lah was the most powerful. On top of that, he was also surprised to see that Tsavong was now leading it instead of his father. Nom wondered what that could mean but decided not to worry about it just yet for Czulkang remained no threat.

After all, why worry about someone who was not a threat to your plans unless they were setting up to be. For all their sakes, he was hoping that Czulkang was not wishing to be the threat that could undo his operations but he could never be sure. He watched Tsavong carefully, seeing if anything he said or did would indicate a plan but to his surprise, the boy gave nothing away. _Truly, he is becoming more like his father every day that I see him_ Nom thought but didn't say before leaving the chamber.

**"Where are my major** targets?" Quoreal asked. "Your best ones to hit on the city would be the Citadel, the power plant, and the armory. On top of that, you would have to hit it in precisely that order," Czulkang answered. "I will have spies do that job, perhaps some fanatic kamikazes eager to prove themselves to me to the point of death," Quoreal stated.

"That might be your best bet but I wouldn't place all my hopes in that if I were you. By now, Nom Anor has made your existence known to the Elite and there are those who'd defy you. Though my Domain is an ally of ours, I have ordered my son to have it side with Shimrra," Czulkang replied. "And why is that, old friend?" Quoreal inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"We could use some ears on the inside that are non-military in nature, could we not? In order to best fight against them, we need to know what their patterns will be. Will they adhere to the tradition of the Revival of our people or will they seek to destroy us before having the festival?" Czulkang said. "You always were one step ahead of our enemies in the wars that we fought together," Quoreal said with a smile.

"I am just doing what I can to help a friend, besides, my son needs to learn how to accept the reality of any enemy he faces in his career. Some will be as personal as his own family and others will be too far distant for him to notice or care if he did," Czulkang replied. "A good trial, I must admit, it's sad that no other Warmaster Domain does it anymore. I wonder why yours, of all of them, would be the one to stick to that ancient tradition?" Quoreal asked.

"We are an ancient family, we only change enough to adapt but we still attempt to cling to our old traditions wherever and whenever possible. It's part of how we have managed to outlive many Domains and see the rise of new ones though they too would fall soon enough," Czulkang answered. "Then perhaps you won't mind eliminating a certain factor from the equation or at least, attempting to," Quoreal said.

"Nom Anor?" Czulkang guessed. When Quoreal nodded in his reply, Czulkang was initially puzzled but he could see why he wanted him out. If allowed to live long enough, Nom would become a threat to their design with only his own benefit being his sight the whole time. "I have a better idea in mind than elimination: a challenge of sorts that Nom would be more than willing to accept," Czulkang said.

"And what would that be?" Quoreal inquired. Czulkang turned the video imagery before them to a viewer that had eyes on Arden Lyn and her apprentice Depa. "Nom Anor has an unusual interest in those two humans though why he has it, I can't imagine. When I challenge him to single combat, the stakes will be that if he wins, they remain here but if he loses then I have the power to let them go," Czulkang explained.

"Interesting contest but if he values his honor, he will not deny you," Quoreal observed. "Yes and despite his combat experience, he is unlikely to match a Warmaster. Unless someone had been giving him illegal training before he seized power from his father and took over the Anor Domain," Czulkang agreed. "Go ahead then and add his defection to Shimrra's side as a stake in the duel while you're at it as well as your defection if you lose," Quoreal ordered.

Czulkang hesitated, not necessarily sure if that was wise but he supposed he had to keep things even and interesting. The duel with Nom Anor would have to be like that in order for their to be any honor in it from Czulkang's end. Besides, if he lost, he would be reunited with his son and Quoreal would then have the power to release or trap the human women. But Czulkang Lah was not about to let their door back home close on them without a fight: he would honor the truce at all costs.

"Didn't your son already disown you in the public or does that still need to be done?" Quoreal asked suddenly. "Still needs to be done but we're on top of that, the duel will take place afterwards. That way it looks like I'm trying to redeem myself in my son's eyes," Czulkang answered. Quoreal's smile was all the old man needed to know his satisfaction.

**"The revolution is forming** at last, dissent is in the air, and Shimrra feels the heat of the pressure to defeat his old enemy forevermore. It is almost time for us to make ourselves known but perhaps we could use the religious fervor to our advantage," Depa stated. "And prove ourselves no better than Nom Anor or Quoreal?" Arden asked. Depa had no reply for that, how could she when she realized the bitterness of her own words after hearing that remark?

"No Depa, we will not manipulate the psychology of the religious fanatics anymore than our allies already have. If we did that, then Shimrra and Onimi would know where we were and seek to destroy us. We would lose the element of surprise and fulfilling our part in Onimi's destruction would be next to impossible. As Xendor taught me, it is sometimes better to catch your enemy unprepared and unawares than to reveal your part in the formation of an army, assuming you aren't the leader," Arden added.

_As it is, we are technically the true face of this revolution and Quoreal is our puppet anyway. Nom Anor is the dangerous loose end that I worry about however_ Arden thought. "Then will we be ready to strike against Onimi soon?" Depa asked. Arden nodded and said that it was a matter of letting the revolution stall his forces before returning to the city and attacking.

"I will have the Talisman conceal our presence in the Force so that Onimi cannot see us that way. Via Vongsense, he may mistaken us for two more citizens of his Overlord's vast empire and that's an advantage we can very easily exploit," Arden stated. "But what if the Vongsense does not mistaken us for Yuuzhan Vong and identifies us as humans?" Depa asked. "Then we just have to hope that he doesn't have something that can help him defeating him," Arden answered.

"That's the best that the great Arden Lyn can conjure?" Depa demanded. "It's not great but it's better than nothing," Arden admitted. "Maybe you're right but once we're home, then what? Do we find Thrawn and make him pay for abandoning us?" Depa inquired.

"No, he didn't have a choice in that and I'm pretty sure he couldn't expend a lot to searching for us without the scrutiny of our Supreme Overlord here. Besides, Thrawn never works outside his own bounds unless he absolutely has to and expending a great deal to find us would've done that. He didn't betray us but there wasn't a lot that he could do to help us out anyway," Arden explained. "So dense yet so certain that you can trust him, he reeked of deception from day one!" Depa exclaimed.

"Maybe so but what choice did we have at the time we joined him? Who would have accepted us as freely and openly as he did? Surely not the man called Darth Sidious that you mentioned as one who destroys anyone that interfere with his plans, even if they're just fallen Jedi. Would you rather have taken your chances with him?" Arden snapped.

"No but we could have helped Maul and Savage a little more than we did. We were mostly here, helping Thrawn play his game with the Yuuzhan Vong!" Depa shouted. "By doing that, we did help Maul out because we prevented these people from becoming a factor that ruined his plans. Sidious did that for them when he went to Mandalore to destroy Maul as I'm sure he did," Arden calmly said.

Depa, you are beginning to push me and remember that I don't need the Talisman to defeat you Arden warned mentally. "With a little more active a role on our part, Maul and Savage could have overcome Sidious and taken the galaxy. Instead, we had to go wandering into territories that we didn't know and get ourselves into this. We're in over our heads and going home means going to a place that might not welcome the likes of us anymore than it did fifteen years ago," Depa warned aloud.

"Maybe so but it's the only chance we have at any solace from our past sins," Arden said. "How do you know?" Depa asked. "I awoke to find that twenty-five thousand years had gone by—all I knew and all I loved curdled into history then dismissed as myth. Not even dust remains of those who were dear to me.

"I have outlived planets, and the very constellations are scrambled and strange. I am alone in a way you could never imagine. Despite that, I am human Depa, I have to hope that there is some path to forgiveness for what I did and redemption from what I've become. The galaxy from whence we came is the only place where I feel like there is hope to finding that way, the only place that has the knowledge," Arden explained pleadingly. "You've grown soft in your ways since you've arrived here, Arden Lyn," Depa stated.

"What does that mean?" Arden demanded. "It means that it's no wonder why you were only the prototype for what would develop into the Dark Side. That it's time for me to take the crown of Mistress from you and help these people without regard to going back there. I already feel more at home amongst these freaks and monsters than I ever did over there," Depa replied.

"We are not Sith, Depa! You don't have to attack me and besides, you would die before your stroke fell anyway," Arden begged. "Let's see about that," Depa said as she ignited her lightsaber and Arden unsheathed some of her sword in warning. "Without me, you would still have been in a fucking coma unaware and uncaring of who came to carve up your body into pieces!" Arden screamed.

At first, Arden thought that saying that provoked her apprentice into attack but instead, something else happened. Depa seemed to actually hesitate, to remember what her Mistress had done for her and wonder what she was doing with her lightsaber pointed at her. "It's all right Depa, I understand why you feel this way. I tried rebelling against Xendor in a similar manner towards the end of his life and the life of the Legions," Arden said.

"What was the result of those rebellions?" Depa asked. "Since most of them were in the marriage bed, it ended with him taking me like some animal in rut. He'd regret it later but sometimes I wonder if he did that because he was possessed by this cursed artifact around my neck," Arden answered, gesturing to the Talisman as she spoke. "It was the price he paid for using its power as much as he did," Depa said, the statement not being a question this time.

Arden nodded and she began to wonder, if the Talisman was ultimately the thing responsible for all her misery. In the back of her mind, she was beginning to consider ways to eliminate it from the equation. All the while, she was unaware that the Intendant known as Nom Anor had his eyes on it as though it were some common jewel. Looking at the prism-shaped artifact that had saved her and then tried to possess her too, she began to wonder if things would improve without it around.

**The floating city of** the Yuuzhan Vong had landed on Zonama Sekot at last and the festival would take place in another week after that. But what he wondered was if this would be his best chance to find Arden Lyn and Depa Billaba and reconcile with them. He wondered if fifteen years of fruitless search and countless ships being accidentally destroyed, it was finally about to pay off. True that he was partly worried due to Sidious expressing an interest in their power but that was far from the main point.

He didn't fear Lord Sidious nearly as much as he feared what Arden and Depa could do if they remained rogue. They could destroy both Thrawn's personal empire and the Empire he sought to take from Palpatine's control. "Captain will everything be ready in time for our travel to the festival on Zonama Sekot?" Thrawn asked. "Yes sir, the arrangements that you have ordered should be no problem in making," his Captain answered.

_Good, at least my troops and their officials have not grown lazy in the absence of battle unlike some members of the Council that I wish to eliminate. I think Moses is worse without his goiter than he is with it hanging from his neck_ Thrawn thought but didn't say. The thought provoked a smile at the irony of it: five years ago, Moses had ordered his goiter surgically removed. His reasoning was that it made him too unattractive but who would love a grotesquely fat man like him anyhow?

Thrawn's sister, Moses' reluctant wife, certainly didn't nor did any in Thrawn's family for that matter. Actually, Moses was the reject of even his own family and he knew it all too well thanks to their lack of acceptance of his party invitations. And as Thrawn observed, one had to wonder if that was because of his gluttonous, greedy nature or just that he was fat in general. It wasn't normal for a Chiss to fall so far and perhaps that's what made Moses stand out from the rest of the crowd.

But now, it was time to be rid of him and Thrawn knew that his sister would help in that. She had, after all, grown to hate his advances as well as his taking of other women in front of her.


	13. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

"As Head Warmaster of Domain Lah, I hereby resign my title and pass it onto my son, Tsavong Lah," Czulkang declared to the audience watching. Tsavong accepted the applause and he knew what to do from here. "Thank you father, your willingness to bestow the title is kind but I must say that due to treasonous actions in years past, my first act must be to banish you from our great city. You shall be dubbed a Shamed One until such time as you bring one of the revolutionaries with Quoreal back to us.

"I am sorry father but that is the way of things, now," Tsavong replied when he had command of the podium. Murmurs went through the crowd, many unbelieving that the great Czulkang would commit treason for any reason. He hadn't but that was not for these foolish civilians caught in the middle of the war to know. _With good luck and a couple gods on our side, their stupidity will remain that way until either the revolution has fallen or overthrown Shimrra_ Tsavong thought but didn't say aloud.

_My son learns more about how to be a Warmaster every minute. Soon there will be nothing left that I can teach him and he will be far more worthy of the title than he is already. Perhaps, I made the right choice in taking his mother for a wife, he definitely has her determination and good will toward others_ Czulkang thought with a smile. Tsavong's mother had definitely been a good woman, good enough to sadden him when she died giving birth to him.

But perhaps it was worthier that she had died giving birth to a man who might possibly have been his greatest achievement than to live and see a greater shame. Besides that, mothers who died giving birth were martyrs to the families anyway unless the child was either a woman or a girly man. Nonetheless, he had obtained an amphistaff for his travels and knew that he needed Nom Anor to lose the duel in order to be able to return to his son's side. This would prove to also be Tsavong's first great test as the Head Warmaster of Domain Lah and the one that proved him to be a great leader.

Smiling, it was all working as he had planned it out to be and personally, he was glad that his son had this chance to prove himself. It was more than he got before he was forced to kill his father in single combat for his own initiation process. More peaceful and more strategy-oriented than it was on raw skill and power as it used to be, a few centuries before. An improvement, Czulkang would say and perhaps, Nom Anor might have said it too.

**"Tsavong's first act as** Head Warmaster is to banish his own father for 'treasonous actions' in years past. Can't say that this is characteristic of the Lah Domain unless they're planning something they don't want us to know about," Onimi stated. "Indeed, perhaps it might be time for you to do some of your own investigation?" Shimrra asked. "No, I don't think Czulkang would let me anywhere near him in order to find out what his endgame is but I know one thing about already," Onimi answered.

When Shimrra asked him to tell him, that was precisely what Onimi did. "If anyone is the mastermind of their little plan, I highly doubt it's Tsavong. His father has come up with cunning infiltration plans for this sort of thing before, each one succeeding rather brilliantly," Onimi explained. "You would know this, how?" Shimrra inquired.

"Who but Czulkang Lah single-handedly infiltrated the Bandits of the Great Scourge and undid them from within? And who but the great Czulkang Lah disguised himself as a beggar to overthrow the Supreme Overlord often called The Impaler after twenty years of servitude?" Onimi suggested. "Wait a minute, you're saying that the Czulkang we know is the same one? But the Bandits were destroyed two-hundred and twenty years ago and The Impaler died eighty years ago," Shimrra replied.

"And that's where Czulkang's age comes into factor: he's nearly five hundred years old," Onimi said. "Five... hundred? That's pretty old even by the standards of our people, no wonder why he wanted to hand the title of Head Warmaster to his son," Shimrra observed. "Yes and from appearances, Czulkang may live another few decades yet under the assumption he isn't killed here," Onimi agreed.

"Better to assume he's immortal than ever hope that he could be killed in this revolution," Shimrra stated grimly. "Do not despair milord, even the best of us must fall sometime, I think Czulkang might finally hit it with this revolution," Onimi replied reassuringly. "What has you so confident?" Shimrra asked. "Nom Anor is at least a hundred years younger and healthier than old Czulkang Lah, if Czulkang is doing this to get at him then he's in for some trouble even if he does win," Onimi answered, smiling.

**Nom Anor had to** admit that he was a little surprised that Czulkang would hand leadership of Domain Lah to Tsavong so suddenly after the revolution began. In fact, he was wishing to know why Czulkang did that and asked his son to keep his loyalties with Shimrra. With Tsavong, there could have been great opportunity to gain a loyal ally and Nom definitely did have use for the boy's talents. But now, he had to contend with the old fool who had ruined it all for him.

_And here I was hoping Czulkang would be a loyal ally but I have to admit I have to wonder what I have done in forcing Arden into reviving Quoreal. Could there have been another way by which I could have persuaded her to do it for me?_ he asked himself angrily. Looking back on his intentions when he persuaded her, they seemed pretty admirable even by the standards of an Elite. But sadly, Quoreal's mind must have been shattered too long because now, here he was with a bloodthirst unlike any that Nom Anor had seen in even the most insane Warmaster of any time.

Just then, his doors flew open from a hit by someone's fist and Nom Anor turned to see Czulkang with an amphistaff in hand. "So, you've come to kill me for supposed treachery against our people? Do you not see that in more ways than not, I save us from ourselves with what I do?" Nom asked. "No, I do not come to kill you: I have come with a challenge you cannot refuse, a duel but not to the death," Czulkang answered.

"The stakes?" Nom Anor inquired, knowing Czulkang wasn't doing this without reasons. "If I win, you defect back into Shimrra's fold and surrender all your power and influence here to me. This includes but isn't limited to the ability to dismiss or keep Arden Lyn and her apprentice here," Czulkang explained. "And if I win?" Nom requested.

"Then I defect back into Shimrra's fold and you can do as you wish with the women. I had my son exile me just so I could try to rescue them from you and Quoreal," Czulkang stated firmly. "It seems as though it always comes back to those two in the end. No matter where are trails lead us in this revolution, it always seems that in the end, those two are always in the eye of our storm," Nom said.

"Yes, especially Arden, now are we going to fight or will you forever shame your family name?" Czulkang demanded. "My family already shamed me to the point where I exterminated them from the face of the universe. I can refuse your offer if I wish but I find it admirable so I will be taking on your challenge today," Nom said. Then he conjured an amphistaff of his own and asked Czulkang if this was how he intended for them to fight each other in their duel, to which Czulkang nodded in reply.

"So be it then, it looks as though our alliance is at an end either way. But either way, I have already won and I was about to dispose of you and your son anyway," Nom stated. "We'll see who's disposing of who when this is over," Czulkang snapped. "Indeed we shall," Nom stated with a smile.

Czulkang stood in an offensive position, his amphistaff hardened to be used as a sword for the duel but it was Nom Anor who made the first move. Exploiting the "Way of the Diplomat" for his fighting, Nom surprised his older opponent with a series of stabs, parries, and upward hacks. He also made several downward slashes with his amphistaff, testing Czulkang's defenses for weaknesses. However, Czulkang's usage of the "Way of the Warrior" was more than capable of being on par with Nom Anor's own skills.

Every now and then, Czulkang exploited the environment for acrobatic feats Nom had feared his age would prohibit him from using. If anything, it seemed as his age added to his ability seeing as he had decades to learn many of these feats that he now used beautifully and perfectly. But Nom's own spinning and twirling of his staff meant that he could keep up with Czulkang's acrobatics even if barely. However, even so, Nom began to enjoy himself to the point of laughter and Czulkang didn't need to ask what was so funny.

He already knew what the younger man had perceived as being funny to be something that was very true. Even if Nom Anor lost this duel and all the powers he had in the revolution, he had still fulfilled the purpose he had designed for Arden Lyn and Depa Billaba. True that they still needed to eliminate Onimi as best they could but that was rather optional and by no means necessary for ultimate conquest. It helped but it was hardly the sort of thing that would threaten their victory any more than the soldiers that Shimrra was sure to send their way for their rebellion against him.

_He may have won the war but he will lose the battle if I put my all into winning this duel_ Czulkang vowed to himself silently. _You might win this duel Czulkang but I still have an ace or two up my sleeve that have yet to be withdrawn from their resting area_ Nom thought enthusiastically. A further exchange of blows and a heightening of adrenaline made Nom enlightened to his enemy's intent. "Wait, I've seen this sort of thing associated with you before, Czulkang!" he exclaimed.

"And what would you be talking about?" Czulkang asked, chuckling that Nom might have gotten something. "You are dueling with me for these stakes so that you can infiltrate the revolution through natural means and help it be destroyed! It's no wonder why your son cast you out: it was all meant to be a coverup for your next infiltration plan like with the Bandits and The Impaler," Nom said. "Oh my dear Intendant, you are spot on but I also did this to save Arden Lyn and her apprentice from your clutches as well and honor the truce with Admiral Thrawn as a result," Czulkang admitted.

"So you still wish to honor a fifteen-year-old truce because you still feel as though it has merit!" Nom shouted. "It does, because you see, we still have twenty-five years left to go before it's over," Czulkang reminded. "You will pay for having ever made a pact with an Infidel commander!" Nom vowed loudly. He gave into the full power of the "Way of the Diplomat" at that point which initially surprised Czulkang and forced him to give away some ground.

But he came back hard with the full strength of his own form, not only recovering the ground he had lost before but also gaining more than Nom could afford to lose to him. So enraged by this was he that Nom just began to lose form and begin randomly throwing sequences of his fighting style at Czulkang. The Warmaster knew he was winning and it was now only a matter of time before he would be able to finish the duel and defeat his enemy. Just then, the Intendant surprised Czulkang with something he hadn't expected to see on him: a plasma eel.

Nom immediately took out the weapon and fired several bolts of plasma at his enemy, forcing Czulkang to sidestep and give away several steps of ground to the Intendant. For added pressure, Nom Anor also took his amphistaff and had it fire its own green laser at the old Warmaster. This was countered, by the beam from Czulkang's own amphistaff, which neutralized Nom's. "Ah but I still have the eel at my command for these kinds of shots," Nom said when he noticed this happening.

Czulkang fired the laser from his amphistaff at the eel itself and watched as it blasted its way through the creatures head and killed it. The result was the Plasma Eel withering away and forcing Nom to return to his reliance on the amphistaff or so Czulkang believed. How many more weapons can he have that will turn this fight from an honorable duel to a mindless brawl? Czulkang asked himself. However, it didn't seem as though Nom did have anything else that could be used against his enemy and simply returned to the duel they had before.

But a Thud Bug Launcher that Nom pulled from the back of his belt changed all that and Czulkang was forced to dodge yet more projectiles being thrown at him. However, he was adamant to destroying the thud bugs themselves with the laser from his amphistaff, something he succeeded in. But not before one of them hit him in the right eye and knocked out the sight in that part of his face. Growling under his breath, he silently vowed that he would enjoy beating the hell out of Nom Anor before letting him go at the first squeal for mercy.

Giving into the strength of the warrior that he was, Czulkang finished off the bugs and returned to the main event of the duel: amphistaff combat. The older Yuuzhan Vong maintained his calm vigil as per the "Way of the Warrior", the patience prevailing over Nom's impulsive performance. True that Nom was very efficient with the "Way of the Diplomat" and stronger as a result of being younger. However, like most youngsters that Czulkang had been forced to put down in his time, he was all too prone to getting impatient when an outcome wasn't going his way.

Granted, Czulkang had faced down worse than his dirty tricks with the Bandits and The Impaler but it did still throw him off every now and then. "You fool, this was supposed to be my glorious day! I will not let you cheat me out of it!" Nom exclaimed. "Then for once, we disagree on something that doesn't have to do with the traditions of our people," Czulkang replied with a smile and a wink.

Nom commanded his amphistaff to wrap itself around Czulkang's but the older warrior replied by having his do the same. From there, it turned into a tug of war that Nom wanted to use to play on Czulkang's age combined with the fact that it gave him a slightly duller edge on strength and power. However, despite the fact that he did end up gaining the edge and tugging Czulkang towards him, he had not counted on what the old man did next. Instead of falling forward as anticipated, Czulkang leaned backwards and extended his feet out first to make contact with Nom's chest and neck.

The blow was so severe that Nom was sent off his feet and he had to let go of his weapon as Czulkang did the same to let the snakes wrestle for a little bit. His won the match and Nom's amphistaff died from the venom inflicted by the bite of Czulkang's within a matter of seconds. It was then that Czulkang proceeded to conduct hand-to-hand combat, punching, kicking, and elbowing Nom Anor. The younger Intendant managed to get a few solid hits in at the chest and other unimportant areas but the hits Czulkang made toward him took their toll, especially a kick to the chin and an elbow to the eye.

But the hit that really began to do him in was a punch Czulkang made at the area that encased his liver and lower ribcage. It knocked the breath out of Nom Anor and just in time for Czulkang's amphistaff to return to its master's hand. At that point, Czulkang mentally commanded it to coil around Nom's neck when he had recovered his breath. Then grabbing his weapon by each end, Czulkang proceeded to strangle the Intendant that had fought him rather dirtily.

"Do you surrender, Intendant Nom Anor or must I make you suffer before you see reason?" Czulkang demanded. Using the full strength of his muscles, he made sure that Nom knew he meant to kill him if he hadn't surrendered by patting Czulkang's breastplate twice. Czulkang uncoiled his weapon and put it aside as he let the Intendant recover his breath from what had been done to him. "It's all yours: my power in the revolution, my sphere of influence, and even dismissal powers over Arden," he said.

"Good, now get on your way before I change my mind about sparing your life!" Czulkang hissed. Truly, he had found Nom Anor's overall performance quite good but the times that he had pulled out a Plasma Eel and a Thud Bug launcher with projectiles for it were unforgivable. "But there is a price to pay for my handing you the power to command the dismissal of the humans," Nom warned. "And what would that be?" Czulkang asked angrily.

"They must eliminate Onimi from the equation or at least distract him while Shimrra faces Quoreal. That way even if Quoreal loses again, it will still be a fair fight to the death rather than Shimrra having Onimi to amplify his abilities in combat to supernatural levels," Nom answered calmly. "I will see that they do that but I make no promises on Onimi's death," Czulkang stated. "So much desire to free them and you are not confident in what they can do by themselves, never mind as a team?" Nom mocked.

"Go little man before I beat you around some more," Czulkang ordered. "You are old Czulkang, too old to still be living. Someday, you will face a battle you cannot win and when that happens, I will be laughing when news of your death is brought to my attention," Nom told him. "No living thing is too old to live so long as destiny has a reason for that thing to keep on living.

"If I am to die tomorrow or when the truce is dissolved is inconsequential to me. My only fear is that my son may not live long enough to serve his people as I have served them without hesitation. But most importantly, I fear that as a result he may not be able to honor our family as a true Warmaster. Now go or suffer the consequences of further delay," Czulkang replied.

That is your mistake Czulkang, caring only for the interests of our people. I seek higher prizes than that and I intend to gain them with time Nom thought but didn't say. He rubbed his stomach since it had had a convulsion when Czulkang hit him in the liver and lower ribcage area while walking. It was the least he could do to keep from throwing up and further hindering his ability to stand, let alone walk and leave the revolution he had helped create. He had lost his first duel ever and he was amazed that Czulkang had let him live to tell the tale but he remembered an important code.

According to a Warmaster, it was sometimes better to let something live to fight another day than it was to kill it right away. He had a feeling he would be having more run-ins with the Domain Lah and none of them good from here on out. But that didn't frighten him nearly as much as the prospect of losing his ability to experiment on Arden Lyn and her apprentice, finding answers to his questions. It was ultimately another dead end that would bother him for a long time to come after this duel was over.

**"It's almost time, Depa.** Pretty soon we'll be home and Onimi will have been defeated by then and that's assuming we still have to fight him," Arden said. "Why do I get the feeling that Nom Anor has seen to it that that ends up being what we have to do?" Depa asked. "Probably because that's how that sneaky little bastard has set up his little plans," Arden answered with a laugh.

"Most likely but what I have to wonder is if he is expecting us to show up. I knocked Vergere into a coma and if his attack against us was any indication, they were close in their time together," Depa suggested. "Like I said before, we'll have to do as best we can once we start fighting him much as I hate saying that," Arden replied. _I absolutely hate it when I have to say that to Depa considering her constant desire for some sort of cunning plan_ Arden thought to herself.

_My understanding of your code was that you weren't Sith. According to the Codex of the Jedi, only Sith deal in absolutes_ the voice of the Talisman teased. _You're terrible at jokes Kashi Mer, even if you do give unlimited power to those who wield you_ Arden replied telepathically. Once again, the artifact went silent at that comment and Arden wondered if it was for the better that it did.

More and more, it seemed like that was the case, especially now that it had failed to possess her as it had possessed Xendor when he was alive. The more it tried to soften her resolve, the more the attempt backfired on it and the more it had to remain silent until she used its power and it felt good too.


	14. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

The time of war was near and the foe wasn't Thrawn or any from outside the galaxy again. Rather, it was a massive revolution that had occurred as a result of the revival of religious fervency thanks to the resurrection of fallen Supreme Overlord Quoreal. Shimrra had been injured during the confrontation with it and Onimi had just finished tending to his wounds. Now, with the Scepter of Power in his hand, Shimrra had vowed to the public that this resistance would be crushed forevermore.

In fact, Onimi had persuaded him to challenge Quoreal to single combat and the winner would determine the fate of the Yuuzhan Vong. What the Supreme Overlord didn't realize was that this played right into the hands of the rebels and helped Onimi more than anyone. By fighting Quoreal, Shimrra had set the stage for the completion of Onimi's ascendance to the throne room. In fact, he foresaw the fulfillment of a foolproof plan that only humans could mess up for him.

Unfortunately, not too long before persuading Shimrra to issue the challenge, Onimi was called telepathically to a challenge of his own by a woman introducing herself as Arden Lyn. She had stated that she was human and that her apprentice was the one responsible for what happened to Vergere. _If you wish to avenge her, you will meet us on Czulkang's personal cruiser after he's left. He'll be fighting with the revolution and we will be alone there, you'll know us when you see us_ she added.

He had to admit that they were probably right about that, how could he miss human women floating about Yuuzhan Vong space even if they were far from an army? Nonetheless, he wondered if this revolution had allied with human powers in the galaxy that he had hoped to rule. There was no way they could gather as much power as they had had without some external help of sorts. _Unless someone from within sparked the revolution through the Elite which would be a clever trick_ he thought.

Smiling, the thought of someone within the Yuuzhan Vong starting the revolution would be the most clever feat of cunning that he had ever seen. However, he had a trick of his own up his sleeve: the portal still fed him power whenever he went near it. Granted, it did extract a price on his soul but he began to wonder if he really cared about paying that price so long as he had eternal power. At this point, ensuring immortality and then taking over the Yuuzhan Vong was all that mattered to him now.

"Oh mighty gods of our people, track me the most massive surge of power that you can possibly give without killing me. A greater threat than any our people has faced is on the horizon and I must have the power to stop it from destroying us all!" Onimi exclaimed. _Be warned, to track this surge of power into you even for the good of your people means paying the ultimate price_ the voice of the portal stated. "You know I am more than willing to pay that price just as much as anyone else that might possess your greatness," Onimi said before plunging his hands into the wall of the portal.

As usual, he felt the slow, melodramatic ebbing of power flowing into his hands but soon, he felt the usual mounting pace of the power's insertion into his body. Like several snakes slithering into openings in his skin, he felt it strengthen him in ways that he had never felt before. The pain that came with it was overwhelming but he bit down on his lip so that he didn't scream in agony. But when it was over, he felt more powerful than he had ever been before in his life, even whilst under Vergere.

"Thank you gods, I will be sure to repay you in any way I can when this is over," Onimi vowed. _Bring me the heads of those who threaten your people when you have destroyed them to prove that what we have given you has not been in vain_ the voice stated. "I shall do such a thing the moment I can," Onimi stated with a bow. With that exchange taken care of, he walked away from the portal, confident that he could now defeat whoever it was that had just challenged him.

**"So you let Nom Anor** leave on condition that we kill Onimi or at least stall him until the outcome of the duel between Quoreal and Shimrra is decided. Can't say that I was liking our chances of escaping without a price anyway," Arden said. "Don't despair Arden Lyn, Onimi is a coward unless he's cornered: you might not even get the best that he can do thrown at you," Czulkang replied. "Yeah, count on the maybe to tell you how anxious I am for this to be over with," Depa sarcastically retorted.

"Depa, we shall do this and we shall do it without regard to the cost to ourselves. At least we can use the Dark Side in ways that the Sith never would or could," Arden said. Depa shrugged and yielded to the point that her Mistress had just made, not speaking again after that. Czulkang half-smiled, impressed that Arden could display such strength and yet maintain such innocence about her.

It was a wonder that Yuuzhan Vong women were not like that: either they were one or the other. Though the innocent personality was excellent for marital survival, the strength Arden radiated with was great enough to impress any Warmaster. It reminded him once more of his own wife, the mother of Tsavong, who had been very strong but still had a streak of innocence about her. But that was to be saved for another time, there was work to be done in the here and now where it belongs.

"Where do you recommend we meet Onimi on your cruiser? Would the bridge be the best space for the duel?" Arden asked. "That might be the best one as far as a straight-out duel is concerned," Czulkang answered, nodding. "Then the bridge of the cruiser, it is," Arden said with a smile. "Is that really wise, Mistress?" Depa asked.

Arden snarled, making sure to let her apprentice know that this wasn't going to be questioned. _The longer I let her remain a loose cannon, the more I get the feeling that I may have made a mistake in doing so_Arden thought but didn't say. The Talisman counseled her, assuring her that she had not made a mistake by giving Depa the freedom that she had given her. _Besides, she is much more useful when she is free to do almost as she pleases than if she is confined_ it added into her mind.

Mentally, Arden shrugged and wondered if it had a point there and if she was a similar way when Xendor was leader of the Legions of Lettow. It had explained why she rebelled against him whenever he felt like he was trying to dominate her even if it was just in the bed. Thinking about the flaws of Xendor hurt her and she began to wonder if she was being too hard on her apprentice. After all, the chances that they would die in combat against Onimi were as good as the chances they wouldn't.

But as Depa and Arden walked to the bridge, Czulkang watched in wonder as to which of the women was the more mentally powerful. Was Arden with the experience of knowing that everything she loved wasn't even dust or Depa Billaba who still knew much that was alive? Only time and the will of the Gods would reveal the answer to the old Warmaster who also awaited his fate.

**Arriving at the grounded** city of the Yuuzhan Vong for the festival was the same for Thrawn as it had been every year. It was a celebration of the truce in the Void where the Chiss had gained the upper hand in the fight against the Yuuzhan Vong but chose to save them for cultural reasons. "This is the fifteenth anniversary of a great victory for the Chiss Ascendancy! Can one believe that the Yuuzhan Vong have maintained their alliance with us for this long?" he heard Moses shout gleefully.

"I can," Thrawn answered, reminding his brother-in-law that he was the one who made the truce with Warmaster Czulkang Lah. "Don't be ridiculous brother, just because you fought them the longest doesn't mean you know what a man's thinking beneath the skin of his forehead," Moses said. "Give him credit Moses, my dear, he had to calculate their psychology in order to calculate their next move. How else was he able to save our skins before we had to courage to save them ourselves?" Thrawn's sister, Meg, spoke up.

"Speak when spoken to, my little muffin. You are no longer under your brother's protection, you know," Moses hissed. Meg lowered her head in acceptance but Thrawn knew better: deep down, she wanted to slit this man's throat. _Who could blame her for wanting the old man dead almost as much as I do?_ Thrawn asked himself, smiling as he did so. "Let me consult my sister and cool her tongue," he suggested aloud.

Moses hesitated, reluctant to let Thrawn give her any ideas but that streak of brightness faded as quickly as it came. "And do a proper job of it, this time! Last time, she was a lot worse than when I sent her to you," he ordered. "Yes Master Moses," Thrawn stated with a bow.

_Fool, I deliberately sent her back that way as I will deliberately send her back to you with the means to kill you_ Thrawn thought. When he and his sister were far enough away from the sight of the grotesque monstrosity that was Moses, Thrawn unveiled his ultimate weapon. It was a set of fake fingernails whose tips were sharp enough to scratch. "Mitth'raw'nuruodo, there must be a reason for you delivering me another set of fake fingernails at this hour?" Meg asked.

"Yes my little Mitt'mega'nuruada, there is a reason that I give you these ones in particular. They are all laced with a special concoction of deadly poisons that combine to form a super-venom. One scratch from either of these sets can kill a man in a matter of minutes, regardless to his size. These will do Moses for certain, especially if you do it during the fireworks and then slip out," Thrawn answered.

"Mitth'raw'nuruodo, your mind has always fascinated me. I'm the murderous psychopathic beauty of the Ascendancy, it's part of my charm. Yet the way you think, analyze, strategize, and execute your thoughts scares even me sometimes," she stated. "Rest assured little sister that I will never use this mind against you unless you leave me no choice," he replied.

"That's comforting to know," she said. "Put them on and use them when the fireworks begin, the poison is painless and he will be too dazzled by the fireworks to notice your absence," he said. "With pleasure, my brother," she stated with a bow before leaving. But he stopped her and reminded her to act like he had put her in her place to please her husband who was as good as dead now.

_Alas, I will command all assets of the Ascendancy and I will replace those incompetent, old fools with fresher and more creative blood. I will also have my revenge for being forced to abandon Arden Lyn and Depa to their escape pod all those years ago_ Thrawn thought excitedly. But he also remembered one important detail of business to take care of, one that would need to be started before the assassination of Moses in order to be ready on time.

Sneaking off into a communications room and putting on the private channel, he contacted the one ally he thought he might never have a reason to see again. An audience with Emperor Palpatine was the objective of his desire for communication and one he would get by any means necessary. Luckily, he didn't have to go through some sort of private secretary or Lord Vader to get to his prize this time. Instead, it seemed as though the Emperor had been expecting the communication from Thrawn and was wondering what took him so long.

"Is everything in order?" Palpatine asked immediately. "Yes milord, soon the Ascendancy will be mine and we will have resources to share with your glorious regime," Thrawn answered as quickly. "Excellent, then everything is proceeding as I have foreseen. Upon your oath of allegiance, I will have you tested in your strategical ability against Rebels: if you pass you are a Grand Admiral," Palpatine said.

"And if I fail?" Thrawn asked rather inquisitively. "If you fail, you will merely be another one of my subordinate generals who must work his way up into my good favor. Normally, I do not accept aliens into the Army of my regime but with you, I am willing to leave room for exception," the old man answered. "You do me great honor by giving me a rare opportunity indeed, I shall not disappoint you," Thrawn stated reassuringly.

"I am quite confident that this test should be quite easy for you. However, another matter has come to my mind now that we speak of your achievements. What news on the front of finding this Arden Lyn woman and her apprentice?" Palpatine asked. "The search is still going but if anyone has found her by now, I have no doubts that Warmaster Czulkang did just that," Thrawn answered.

"And what would an official of the Yuuzhan Vong want with them?" Palpatine demanded. "I am not sure but he has told me of interest in them on the part of Nom Anor, an Intendant of the Elite class. However, it is my hope that Czulkang can rescue them from the Intendant's clutches and return them to me as the truce would be endangered should Nom Anor decide to keep them hostage," Thrawn stated. "Be careful, I do not need a war on another front when it's hard enough keeping my own lands united as it is," the Emperor warned.

"Yes Master, it could be just a mistake and they could still be floating but I will find them even if it takes eternity to do so," Thrawn vowed. Chuckling, the Emperor stated that he admired Thrawn's passion. "But I'm afraid this search might not have eternity if you do not find them soon enough," he warned before cutting transmission. The more time I waste, the less time I have to execute the plans that need her power most vitally in order to survive he exclaimed silently.

He hoped that he would be able to find Czulkang but with news of a revolution that had recently kicked out Nom Anor for losing a challenge to the old Warmaster, he wasn't so sure. But as fate would have it, Czulkang himself came to put his own uncertainties to rest forevermore. "Thrawn, it has been a long time," Czulkang said, greeting the Chiss that had ousted him in war. "Indeed Czulkang, how goes it all with your son?" Thrawn asked formally.

"It goes well with him, he learns more in a day than I could teach him in a week. But formalities aside, I presume that you are here to talk to me about some allies that you are still searching for?" Czulkang inquired. How did he know that I was searching for allies? Thrawn asked himself silently. "Yes, why have you found any?" Thrawn asked aloud.

Czulkang nodded and asked if the names Arden Lyn and Depa Billaba rung a bell. Thrawn did his very best to hide his surprise but he admitted that it did ring a bell to him. "Rest assured that they are safe for now as I have persuaded Nom to let them leave though he demanded a price. They are asked to assassinate one of our more minor nobles in exchange for free passage home," Czulkang confessed.

"Strange, why does he want them to do the job?" Thrawn asked. "Onimi, the target, is attuned to the Force like them. As a result, it's up to them to rid us of the Court Jester that obviously controls our Supreme Overlord," Czulkang answered. "Then for their sake, I hope that they actually manage to do it; I'll be leaving the festival now," Thrawn said.

"Wait, aren't you going to stay around for the ceremony?" Czulkang asked. "No, I have seen it fourteen times and arranged for a messenger to recite the speech wrote for this year. Besides, I have a little bit of an ascension in the ranks to make for my next alliance," Thrawn answered. Czulkang smiled and complimented Thrawn for always having plans within plans within plans to operate on.

"I assure you that it is just a means of survival by which I have always lived," Thrawn replied happily. The two old warlords parted ways as both of them began concocting thoughts of what would happen if they met again. True that it was sadistic but it was also fun to do... They were great minds that would bounce off each other rather excellently.

**Several Yuuzhan Vong soldiers** were thrown across the room and Shimrra had to admit that the entrance Quoreal made was rather melodramatic. "Do you really have to show off your strength like that? You know it was no match for me the last time that you fought me in combat," Shimrra asked. "Shut up and raise your Scepter to fight me, I will have revenge and besides, you had Onimi amplify your strength that last time; I just know it!" Quoreal answered.

_Now how did he figure it out? He didn't even know who Onimi was at the time I challenged him for the right to the throne_ Shimrra asked himself silently. His guess was that Nom Anor and his allies told him about Onimi's power but that was a very vague and very undeveloped idea. In fact, he was wondering if he should ever consider exploring it once this duel was over and he had triumphed over Quoreal once more.

"Very well, I accept your challenge. You know the stakes, therefore I shall not state them," Shimrra said. He didn't need to since they were alone but he did have to wonder how Quoreal could have gotten passed the security that he had had installed around his palace during the festival. It didn't matter, he would use Quoreal's traditionalist beliefs against him soon enough, thus emerging the winner.

_He has no idea what occasion this is nor do I think he will care until I tell him_ Shimrra told himself enthusiastically as he prepared to fight his old rival once again. "By the power invested in the creation of this Scepter, I shall not touch the symbol of my rule again until I have emerged from this fight. I shall command a common amphistaff for the duration of the duel that we are about to conduct," he stated aloud as he cast the Scepter aside and stole an amphistaff off one of his dead soldiers. Then, to his old enemy's agreement, he asked if they should get this duel underway.

**After having met with** Thrawn to confirm that Arden Lyn and Depa were still alive, Czulkang headed out to the field where the rebels and the loyalists were due to fight. Truly it was a sight to behold even if it was nowhere near as significant as their forces had been before fighting Admiral Thrawn. To think that we could have risen so far up and then fall so low again is unbelievable he thought. Sadness clouded his mind at that thought and he shook his head to push it aside as he headed out to complete the final stage of his plan for saving the humans and all his people.

Since Tsavong was leading this effort as the newest Warmaster, he would challenge his son to single combat, the winner either keeping or taking the title of Head Warmaster. And because Tsavong had been informed of this change in advance, he was glad to see that his son had come prepared. _He is eager to complete this final stage, regardless of how it turns out for him_ Czulkang said to himself. The challenge was simple: if Tsavong won, he kept his title and the rebels surrendered back into Shimrra's fold and if he lost, war would begin and Czulkang would have his title back.

They would fight not with weapons but hand-to-hand as any member of a cast beside the Supreme Overlord would be asked to do. Though Czulkang determined that it was no more than a formality, it was one that he was willing to follow even against his own son. "Czulkang, Tsavong is younger and strong plus you trained him in what he knows. Even if you win, he'll give you a good run for your money," one of the rebel leaders warned him.

"That is precisely the point: I want my son to give me a good run before I triumph if my return to my former title is going to be honorable," Czulkang replied. Besides, it will feed the fires of my deceit much better anyway the old Warmaster thought but didn't say. He threw away the amphistaff he had originally had and prepared to fight his son with some of his finest martial arts ever. And in the distance, he could see his son doing the same despite the murmurs going around both camps.

"Czulkang, by the standards of most species, you are very old and are long past your prime. Even if your son doesn't gain the upperhand immediately, he could draw out the duel long enough for you to have a heart attack just when you might have finished him off. Please, for your sake more than anyone else's, don't do this," the leader begged again. But Czulkang only scoffed him off once again.


	15. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

"I get the feeling this is going to be more dangerous than anything that we have done before, Mistress. True that I won't back down from a good fight but I think we've got to be sure that we can defeat Onimi before we fight him," Depa said. "I shall consult the Talisman and see if Onimi is using anything to fuel his power, he isn't that strong and I sensed some kind of fuel behind him," Arden said. When it came alive, the Talisman immediately told her of a portal that did for Onimi what the Talisman itself did for Arden Lyn.

_I can take you there but I cannot undo it, it must be destroyed by you creating a sword from your scabbard and literally tearing it in two after plunging both blades into its center. Other than that, it will not be destroyed and it will continue to fuel Onimi with power until it has met its end_ the Talisman added. _Then take me there but pull me back out the moment that I complete the deed of destroying the portal_Arden replied. _As you wish, milady_ the Talisman said as it wrapped her in tendrils of green energy, the sign of teleportation.

For several seconds, that was all she could see in all directions until she finally arrived at what seemed to be a chamber in Onimi's home. The spinning red vortex before you is the source of the portal's power and where Onimi most likely draws power from the Talisman stated. Arden nodded and guessed that the center of it was where Onimi most likely drew power from to gain victory. Drawing out her sword and creating a duplicate via the magic that she had always used before then switching her blades so that the sharp tips pointed backwards, a perfect stabbing position.

Then, when she was ready to do so, she raised them up over her head and plunged the tips into the center of the portal, causing a chain reaction that included the portal's power trying to resist her. During this time, however, Arden and the Talisman both observed that the portal had been drained not too long ago and was still recovering. As a result, resistance would be futile for it and Arden was able to maneuver the blades in such a manner that she could create the tearing effect the Talisman mentioned. When it was finished, a sudden burst of bright light began to form and the entirety of the building began to shake just as the Talisman quick wrapped Arden back into its teleporting cocoon and they escaped.

After they returned to where Arden had been standing beside Depa just before she left, Arden looked down at her swords and noticed that the hilts were all that remained. _Twenty-five thousand years and my blades are destroyed for a good purpose just as I hoped. Actually, I had hoped that they would be lost in battle with me all those years ago but that's beside the point_ Arden thought. "Here Mistress, a lightsaber I stole off Vergere before I put her out of her miserable existence," Depa said after spying the destroyed swords.

Arden caught the hilt and after some instruction about how to turn it on, she watched as the green blade hissed to life and got a feel for it pretty quickly. It was almost like wielding a better version of her swords which had now been absorbed into her being and became a part of her power. "Thanks apprentice, I think I will be needing it for the upcoming confrontation," she said with a smile. _She has no idea_Depa thought but didn't say.

**Before arriving to the** bridge of Czulkang's personal cruiser, Onimi had felt a massive tremor in the Force and knew it to be only one thing. Someone had slipped away while he was coming here and destroyed the portal, cutting off his supply of infinite power. Not just anybody could do that though, it had to be one of the women that he was about to face which made him wonder. Had he been called to a trap or had they been sincere in their declaration of a challenge for him?

And if they were sincere, was it just the two of them or was someone else operating behind them and they were the more public face of this group? Could it even be called a group or were these women operating individually? Too many questions and not enough time to find all the answer, after all, what if he died today in this final confrontation? It was something he hated thinking about but he had to keep himself open to the possibility of his own demise.

**Arden and Depa both** sensed their enemy approaching long before he came through the door leading into the bridge and prepared accordingly. What they saw when the door opened was kind of disappointing: this Yuuzhan Vong was much shorter than who they met before. He had deformities on his face though these were minimal and they had to admit he looked silly. Which was probably befitting of his title, one might add since he was the Court Jester despite his attunement to the Force.

"You destroyed the portal, didn't you?" he asked. "If I say yes, what can you do?" Arden answered. "Destroy you, perhaps," Onimi replied. "You are naive and inexperienced, we have had years of training and can recall mistakes that we have made with our power," Depa interjected.

"It matters not, you will find that I am definitely the most powerful of the three of us though combined, the two of you are nearly as strong as I am," Onimi observed. "Your arrogance blinds you, Jester Onimi. Now you will witness the full power of a master Force user," Arden warned. First, she attacked with green Force Lightning and was somewhat surprised that Onimi could actually parry it. Then Depa surprised them both when she grabbed Onimi with telekinesis and threw him around the bridge without actually casting him into space.

After that, she moved in with Pyrokinesis and Arden had to admit that she was impressed even though that she kept it aside for following up with another barrage of Force Lightning. The result was such overwhelming pain on Onimi's part that he literally delved into the Force as far as he could. When he returned he channeled it out in the Force Scream, an ability that Vergere had trained him in. Arden and Depa backed down immediately as they watched everything around Onimi crumble before him.

_Now that was interesting_ Arden thought but didn't say as she then withdrew her new lightsaber and charged in. She planned to start with Niman and dig into Shii-Cho if she absolutely had to, knowing full well that Onimi couldn't have an idea of how to fight against masters of saber combat. Combined with Depa's usage of Vaapad, the two women once again had the edge in the duel and this time, it looked like it was secured.

However, Onimi surprised them yet again with his ability in Force Repulse and he actually managed to separate them. It was a cunning move and he was a little disappointed that Depa was the first one to recover from the Repulse and fought him.

_Brave of you, old woman. But I would have thought you had learned your lesson at this point, you cannot win, after all_ Onimi thought but didn't say. Unleashing two amphistaffs, Onimi charged at Depa as she began charging at him and continued the duel in saber-staff combat. For a moment, the woman looked like she had an advantage due to the difficulty of her style.

But the problem lied in the secret weapon of the lasers that could emanate from the mouths of the amphistaffs. When Depa least expected it, Onimi commanded his weapons to fire several bolts into her chest and stomach area. _Dishonorable Infidels deserve dishonorable deaths_ Onimi thought to himself. The thought was so delightfully wonderful to Onimi that he even began to laugh as he commanded his snakes to let go of Depa's lightsaber since they had coiled around it before.

He backed away as she dropped to the hard floor beneath their feet and Arden reappeared, shocked and almost seemingly afraid of what was happening. "Depa, no! Stay with me, stay with me apprentice!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry Mistress, I failed you and all that followed us," Depa replied.

"No, there's still time, you can pull through this if you just hold on!" Arden begged. "If I do, I rise back up and help you defeat Onimi and we go home, then what? All I ever knew is dead and gone now and has been for fifteen years, I know I sound like a quitter but it's true. Were it not for the twenty-five thousand year difference, I would be older than you," Depa said.

"What's the point!? Why are you giving up now?" Arden demanded. "Even if we win, it's too late for me to start my life again. Mace Windu and most of my friends are dead and gone, the ones that remain remember me as someone who defected to the Dark Side and had to be put in a coma.

"Worst of all, I am at an age where it would be too late for me to start again even if I truly wanted to. The galaxy fears Darksiders like Sidious and fallen Jedi like us, it hates the Jedi Order itself for crimes it never committed, and bounty hunters bring in people like us for money. While we were in the trance, the Talisman revealed all of this and more to me but I never understood why. Now I do Arden and I am tired living, I am tired of being pulled and pushed from end to end without reprieve.

"I thought I had undergone enlightenment that day when I fell to the darkness of Haruun Kal but it wasn't until I apprenticed myself to you that I found I was wrong. What I found when I did was that I had fallen under a greater insanity than the one I had tried to escape from. You completed my quest for knowledge of how to act and think outside the box when it comes to the Force and I thank you," Depa explained calmly. "She's almost a corpse and she's able to talk?" Onimi mocked.

Arden shot a glance at him that showed the anger which caused her eyes to glow the bright-green color of her lightning. The result of that move was Onimi being swept off his feet and thrown against a wall, temporarily blacking out in the process and thus being silenced. "Mistress, you are technically twenty-six years old and I am a normal sixty-four. It is too late for me to start a new life if we ever did return home to the galaxy but you?

"You are young and have the whole universe right before you and with the Order we knew destroyed, you could reforge it with the research you and Xendor discovered all those years ago. It is you who can tell the survivors the truth of what happened and remedy the corrupted Archive records. Plus, you are wise far beyond even my years to where you make even Master Yoda look unenlightened which he is. You have more to go back to the galaxy for than I do even if you feel it's not by much," Depa continued.

"But you are my only friend, what allies will I have when you are gone?" Arden asked. "None, I admit but that is where your power shall come in. It will attract many potential allies and the test is that you find out which ones will help you restore your family honor and that of Xendor's. I don't know why but I feel like it is your destiny to do that," Depa answered.

_I'll be damned if I can even end the hatred that is sure to come up at the mention of my name, never mind do all that_ Arden thought but didn't say. It was while she was thinking this that Depa said something that she would take to heart and had foreseen for some time. "But beware the power of the Talisman, when it showed me the visions I saw I realized it did so in the hopes to corrupt me. I know you have it under control now but I get the feeling it's setting you up for an easier takeover of your identity and make you no better than any who possessed it before," Depa said.

And with that, Arden knew that she could no longer hold on to it without testing the bounds of its power to the greatest of her ability to test it. _Talisman, what can we do with Depa's power if I decided to transfer it to you for the sake of defeating Onimi?_ Arden asked, tapping into it again. _I can turn her power into a beam that could be amplified by my own power. However, I warn you that result can range from just burning Onimi to shooting him out of the ship and unto Zonama._

_It can even go all the way to destroying everything on the surface of the planet if we're not careful_ the Talisman confessed. _I think it's safe to say that I want you to amplify her power, after you use it to create the beam, as much as you possible can_ Arden replied. _But that could leave me drained for years, maybe even decades when it's finished. You would be on your own during all that time and I could not heal you without compromising my attunement to the Force!_

_You're taking a massive risk by asking me to do that_ the Talisman warned. _Maybe that's what I have in mind_ Arden stated. The Talisman made something close to a sigh and began to wrap green tendrils around Depa's body as it absorbed her power through her wounds. Onimi was still unconscious from what Arden had done but he was stirring, only a matter of time before he revived.

"Depa, I know you're probably not going to like me for this but I need you to surrender your power to the Talisman. You're going to have no use for it when you're dead so I'm putting it to use while you're still alive," Arden said. Depa smiled, understanding her Mistress' intent and surrendered herself to letting the Talisman take her power though it literally pained her to do so. Though Arden had hoped that Depa's end would be a quiet and quick affair, she was glad to be there for it all the same.

Something about Depa's expression of content and happiness at the acceptance of a rather timely death relieved her in more ways than not. In fact, it reminded her of how Xendor had accepted his own violent death when Loki the Destroyer had finished beating him with a massive warhammer. When the transfer was finally complete, Depa looked at her Mistress a final time and raised a hand to Arden's cheek. "If ever I were to have had an affair with a man against the will of the Order, I would have wanted you to be my daughter, Arden Lyn; then my life would be truly complete," she said.

And with those words, Depa closed her eyes as she let the fingers of death snuff out her spark of life and transcend her soul into the netherworld of the Force. _I will always be there for you Arden Lyn and when you finally meet your end, I shall be the first to greet you_ Depa said telepathically. A tear or two fell from Arden's eyes, a surprise for her considering the trauma of her own dark past. However, she turned her attention to one immediate goal: revenge against the man who killed Depa Billaba, her one true friend in an alien universe that feared and hated her kind.

_Is the beam ready, Kashi Mer?_ Arden asked the Talisman. _Yes, just tell me when to fire and I shall_ it answered her. "So, the hag finally managed to silence herself and accept the unavoidable. Can't say that I'm anything short of impressed as far as her longevity against the venom of my weapons," Onimi stated.

"You cheated the rules of fair combat and as such, must be punished severely. Feel the power of eons of accumulation from possibly the deepest well that the Force has ever created," Arden said. Then she signaled the Talisman to fire the beam while she used her own power to keep it levitated and steady as it would need to be whilst firing the laser. The resulting green beam of energy covered the width and length of everything from Onimi's shoulders to his waist.

In desperation, he threw a barrier up in an attempt to stop the beam from hitting him but the energy of it smashed through his defenses like a rock through glass. The last things Arden saw sticking out of the sides of the laser were Onimi's head and limbs before he disappeared screaming. Arden relished his suffering and his fear, taking it into her being as she helped the Talisman continue its shot. For what seemed like eternity, the Talisman slowly milked the power that Depa had transferred into it and the result was a laser that could extend infinitely if it uninterrupted by something it didn't get through.

_Xendor would be pleased to see what I am doing_ Arden thought as she continued to demand the Talisman slowly milk out Depa's midichlorians. Slowly, the numbers drained out of the Talisman as did its power to amplify the laser to the greatest extent possible. And when the midichlorians were finally spent along with the Talisman's own power, Arden let go of her concentration and let it fall to her hand. When she looked into it after firing the laser, she felt it drained just as it had warned her that it would be after extending its full power to amplifying Depa's power into a laser of that magnitude for so long.

Its voice sounded much like a man broken and spent, something that actually pleased Arden more than she realized. Her task complete now, she decided to contact Czulkang and let him know that the deed was done. He would protect her from the desires of Nom Anor during her journey back home just as she knew he had been trying to do from the beginning. If I had to pick a Yuuzhan Vong official to miss when I go back, it would most definitely be him she thought to herself as she left his ship.

She wanted to go planetside to meet him as per his instructions for after the revolution had either ended or overthrown Shimrra's regime. But she foresaw the former outcome more clearly than she saw the latter and she had to say that she was hardly disappointed. She didn't know what to feel about a resistance that seemed real but she knew to be fake, she hadn't seen anything like it before. But soon, her own feelings about it all would be eclipsed by what she would see upon arriving on Zonama Sekot.

**"You know my love,** your brother has to be the most rebellious officer that I have ever had to deal with. It's no wonder I ordered him banished when he chose to defy me on how to defeat the Killiks when they arrived at our capital world," Moses stated. "My brother has a way with people that can seem either awkward or stupid when compared to his ability to analyze and strategize," Meg said. True that she didn't hate defending her brother Thrawn, in fact it was one of her favorite things, but she hated having to constantly do it with her own husband.

_The man's incompetence was as great as his obesity (in other words, still growing like his weight) and arguments with him became less entertaining. I'm glad that the time for his demise is coming soon_ she thought to herself silently. "Perhaps you're right but then he could be just a looney with an astounding amount of luck and intelligence. Do me a favor and scratch my back for me please?" he asked.

This was the opportunity she was waiting for, the desire to test the poison of the fake fingernails her brother had given her too great to resist. She went around to his back and began scratching in just the way that he always liked it: starting slow and escalating until he was starting to bleed. In addition, the escalation was to be quick as well or else he would complain about the itch still being there. "You always did have your mother's hands, she used to do this for me when I was younger," Moses stated.

_A mistake I had hoped not to repeat when I was forced to marry you to establish peace in the Ascendancy_ Meg thought but didn't say. The escalation was as quick as ever and Meg replied to Moses by saying that he must have enjoyed it then to demand it of her now. "Oh yes, you have no idea how good she was to me while we were married," he said with a laugh. Meg half-smiled, remembering how her mother had divorced him in favor of marrying the man who would sire her and Thrawn.

The thought gave her the distraction she needed to accidentally cause him to bleed and let the poison seep its way into his veins and blood. "Oh excellent job, my sweet! You're excused now if you wish to be," he said. She took the opportunity to leave that he gave her and almost laughed at how easy it had been to set his death in motion.

Soon, all she and Thrawn ever deserved would be theirs with the Ascendancy and its resources to help them get there. She savored and cherished the thought of telling her brother about her success in killing Moses when a green beam passed through the city of the Yuuzhan Vong that she walked from. Suspicious that it wasn't good, she began to run in the opposite direction of it, hoping to get to the safety of her brother before something bad happened.

However, after several minutes of continuous flight in one direction, the laser's end flew by her and the fire that came with it erupted forth. Mitt'mega'nuruada never escaped the wrath that followed the beam that shot from all the way across the edge of the living world known as Zonama Sekot alive.


	16. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

The duel with Tsavong had gone much better for Czulkang than either of them could ever have anticipated. Despite the war continuing and soldiers on both sides dying, including many of the members of the Elite who had been enemies in the Chamber, the duel decided the outcome. Czulkang had publicly challenged his son with the very stakes that he had planned to have put into the duel. As instructed before, Tsavong threw aside his amphistaff along with his father before engaging him.

The duel was one that had been long and drawn out with each fighter scoring several punches and a couple kicks on their opponent. However, Czulkang occasionally surprised his inexperienced son with moves where he clasped his hands together and hit with the top or the sides of them. Of course, Tsavong failed to disappoint when he fought against this brutal assault with his own merciless tactics. Several times, he aimed for his father's chest, especially his heart and lungs, as well as aiming for the kidneys whenever he was behind him.

But Czulkang doomed himself the moment he hit Tsavong in the face, knocking out five teeth in the process. Giving into the "Rage of the Warmaster" Tsavong lunged on a full-scale attack, doubling in strength and power as the minutes accumulated. By the time he finally managed to subdue his father, Tsavong had doubled in height, increased six fold in muscular size, and eightfold in agility. Czulkang managed to keep up until the last little bit where his heart palpitated and he nearly fell unconscious.

But he recovered just in time to see his son hit him in the chin hard enough to throw him on his back before then stomping a foot on his chest to show his dominance. And as Tsavong shrunk back to his normal size, he held his arms as an exclamation of his victory against his father. The rebels, as per the terms of the duel, surrendered to the loyalists of Shimrra and Czulkang was allowed to rise back up. "Well done, my son, you have earned your title and may do as you wish with me," Czulkang stated to his son.

"I will revoke your Shamed One and allow you to become an advisor to me. Though you are no longer the head of Domain Lah, your years of experience will contribute to my career," Tsavong replied._ A wise choice though one that will surprise all around us considering you defeated me in a duel_ Czulkang thought to himself with a smile. "Bring me a coralskipper, I wish to return to my personal cruiser to put my prisoner to work immediately," Tsavong ordered.

Several soldiers nodded but only one managed to bring the ship he requested and just when Tsavong was about to take off, a green beam passed across the field of battle. It reduced those in its path to ash while only burning those that were near it and throwing them to the ground. What is that? Tsavong asked himself, frightened. _That's no good, we'd better get back to my cruiser immediately, judging by the trajectory of that bea_m Czulkang thought.

And as if reading this thoughts, Tsavong stepped on the accelerator of the coralskipper and they were in the atmosphere in a matter of minutes. Both were relieved to have escaped it and the revolution with their lives. But there was still the matter of seeing whether or not Quoreal had actually succeeded in the duel with Shimrra, something to think about as they left the Living Planet. Behind and below them, the entire planet of Zonama Sekot turned to a burning hell after the laser passed over it.

**The rematch with Quoreal** had been far more intense for Shimrra than he had remembered it being. But that was likely because he didn't have Onimi helping him this time unlike that fateful clash of amphistaff and Yuuzhan Vong teeth against flesh. _Quoreal was more vicious this time around than I remembered him being in the last duel. Probably because he was more vengeful this time than he had been when he was only competing for his title_ Shimrra thought to himself silently.

Much like the last fight, they had begun with amphistaffs and had even engaged in fair combat as two members of the Supreme Overlord caste should. However, as it progressed, Shimrra lost his amphistaff when Quoreal's bit it on the head and injected it with venom. That meant that Shimrra had been forced to duck and roll from Quoreal's blows whenever he was on the ground and evade. Nonetheless, he managed to find a pair of fighting daggers and proceeded to use them before then disarming Quoreal of his amphistaff.

That was before Quoreal revealed a secret weapon: a pair of quad bladed knuckledusters. He also revealed high proficiency in kicking techniques of martial arts to go along with the sharp blades. Occasionally, one of the knuckledusters managed to graze Shimrra's flesh at beast. However, the kicks were by far the more powerful blows since Quoreal aimed at his chest and face whenever possible to.

But Shimrra managed to obtain some artificial talons to act as equivalents to Quoreal's knuckledusters and displayed kicking techniques of his own. Though Quoreal was familiar with most of them, there were one or two that Shimrra could count on to do their job and weaken his enemy. But still, Quoreal pounded through, vowing to win his title back or die trying to do so. _I'm hoping you'll die trying and I'll do what it takes to see that's the way it goes_ Shimrra had thought silently.

Victory was especially sweet in its relishing when Shimrra reminisced on how he defeated Quoreal after a prolonged contest of martial arts and bladed hands. Using a disarming technique he had learned to use with his hands, Shimrra managed to place his talons on Quoreal's arms and scratch hard. The result was that the knuckledusters were painfully ripped from the fallen Overlord's hands and cast aside to leave his hands bare and no stronger than Shimrra's had been. Though his kicking technique was still good after that, it became more enraged and animallike until he was almost brawling.

Shimrra had also indulged himself and gone down to that level, channeling all of his strength and agility towards the singular goal of destroying his enemy by any and all means necessary. Having lost and found the fighting daggers, Shimrra threw one at his enemy who caught as he had expected of him. Then they proceeded to have a knife fight, seeing who could stab who first or whose throat would be slit first, spilling lifeblood onto the cruiser that had once belonged to Quoreal. Shimrra not only managed to disarm his enemy after about half an hour of fighting with the knives but he managed to cut his throat.

Granted, it wasn't a fatal cut but the shock of it was enough to traumatize Quoreal, his reaction proving it when he fell to the ground on his back, his body arched in shock. There, he began to choke on his own blood since the dagger had cut enough to where he would if he lied on his back. But Shimrra was pleased to let his enemy die a slow, painful death with choking on his blood and waited until he did. Then he hovered over his old enemy and sawed at the cut he had made with his dagger until he managed to slice through bone and literally lop off Quoreal's head.

"Now I am the true Supreme Overlord for all time!" he exclaimed as he held Quoreal's severed head in one hand and the dagger in the other. Then he threw the head into the cold recesses of space from his cruiser and told his enemy to try and come back from that if he could. "How can you resurrect without your head?" he added. Then he sat back and enjoyed his victory just in time to see a green beam flash to life from Domain Lah's cruiser and had a feeling it wasn't good.

After all, Onimi had gone there due to business that he needed to conduct there with the women of his vision who had arrived to the Yuuzhan Vong stronghold alas. Nonetheless, he knew that those at ground level would be affected by the weapon somehow though he had no idea what. Then it happened: after the green beam ceased, a massive mushroom cloud of fire erupted from his city. As if that wasn't the worst part, he could also see all of the mountains of Zonama Sekot crumble except for one peak.

In succession, all the volcanoes began erupting to the fullest power that they could throw on the planet and the mushroom cloud that enveloped the center of his city gave way to a blastwave of fire. Combined with meteors that shot across the sky only to land back down randomly, whether on the floating isles of land that Zonama was famed for or else miles from the wave on plains, it was ungodly. Helplessly, he watched as the blastwave of fire wrapped the planet in a burning blanket and saw as a few of his people had managed to escape its deadly effect though he wasn't sure about any others. The man called Thrawn, Shimrra felt, surely had escaped even if none of his Chiss brothers did.

But he continued to eye the destruction with pandemonious panic setting into his heart, nearly causing him to faint right there. He knew what to name this green beam that had destroyed Zonama and his entire city: "The Fire That Burned The Living World" was its title. And it was a very fitting title when one considered the massive amounts of death and destruction that it had caused on a single day._ This is truly going to put a dent in the festival's performance, is this the wrath of the gods?_ he thought.

He hoped not as it would shatter his anti-traditionalist views and judging by where it came from, it couldn't be the wrath of phantom deities that seldom showed themselves to anyone. But his greatest hope was that Onimi had not been anywhere near that laser beam that had destroyed most of the world. If he was going to forge a new dynasty for the Yuuzhan Vong, he was going to need the help of his Court Jester who was wise beyond even his own title.

**Onimi felt that the** only reason he survived the laser and the ride it took him on was because of its high velocity combined with the fact that it had stopped in the heart of a mountain. However, that didn't stop it from hurting as it burned into his flesh hot enough to melt his armor. Whenever he tried to escape, it twisted his upper or lower body so that his pelvis eventually became distorted. The best he could do under the circumstances was hope that it would be over soon and he would survive it all.

After all, what good was he to his Supreme Overlord Shimrra or to Vergere if he was dead? On top of that, what good were his plans for the future if he could not execute them himself? All these questions reminded him to will himself through the laser's nastiest effects. The result was him just barely surviving to the laser's end and having no ability to move except by crawling.

Even that was an effort as just extending his arm to pull himself along was painful and tedious a process to conduct. As if that wasn't bad enough, pulling himself along hurt so much that he had to stop and let the pain numb away before continuing. Though he would except the pain as a reality of his defeat, it took much adaptation and he had a feeling that he was going to be out of commission for a bit. However, something bothered him as he crawled his way out of the tunnel that had saved him from being blown across the universe by the most powerful weapon he had ever seen in his life.

As he crawled, he examined his current attunement in the Force and realized that it had been drained. All the power of the gods of his people had dissipated before the might of a little magic piece of glass wielded by a human woman with a vengeance for him. _Perhaps she was to be the personification of the God of Destruction, the only being from whom he had not withdrawn power to fuel his resolve. Maybe he was displeased with my lack of respect for him and showed me his displeasure through the woman; guess I had it coming all along_ he thought to himself as he kept on crawling.

Indeed, the will of the gods had a way of being both mysterious and erratic even to him and he was the one who was omnipotent compared to the rest of his people. But then there was Arden Lyn, the human woman who had proven that there were mortals with godlike skill in the Force. He had to admit that he respected her for that but at the same time, he wanted to destroy her forever. Before the end of his life, he wanted to not only recover but hunt down and slowly break and kill her for her deeds.

He would make her watch as all that remained in her life was wiped away before her eyes, breaking her spirit and draining all resolve to live in the process. And when Onimi saw the results of his work as well as her reaction to it, he would split her skull the moment she begged him to end her life. The thoughts themselves were more than enough to please him and motivate him to keep on crawling even when the damage of the laser on his body made it painful for him to do so. _I will have my revenge Arden Lyn, always be looking over your shoulder as I chase you down_! he vowed.

Laughing maniacally, he crawled as fast as he could to reach the end of the tunnel when he began to see it and kept laughing as he did so until he came to the end. The sight that he would behold was one that utterly drained his motivation and his desire for revenge even if temporarily. All around him, what appeared to have been Zonama Sekot was burning and the mountains were gone. That was, all except for the massive solitary peak that had seen his life saved by the thickness of the tunnel wall.

So this was the scope of the Force, unraveled before his eyes at last? This was was what Vergere had been warning Onimi of for all the years she had been training him? If so, it was no wonder she had told him to fear the power that lied in just the portal of all the things she talked about. But it gave him an idea at the same time, an idea that disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

However, whether this was because Onimi soon slipped into unconsciousness from exhaustion or not, was unknown. The vengeance of a woman's love for her friend had done him in and he was determined to destroy it at the source as much as he could. But it would have to wait for another time, when he had recovered as fully as he could and was able to wield the Force again. This was, after all, no time to be making grand schemes for revenge but rather a time to be recovering from his injuries.

**"Mitth'raw'nuruodo, take a look** at this!" the Ensign exclaimed, pointing out the window of Thrawn's personal cruiser as he did so. Thrawn hurried, acknowledging the Ensign's worry, and saw what it was that had caught the younger man's attention. The sight that he beheld was dreadful as a green beam had struck Zonama Sekot and apparently destroyed almost everything. Having left the planet to let his sister assassinate her husband, his face turned pale at the memory of her being there.

_No, it can't be! My sister had better have managed to escape or kill Moses before this happened!_ he exclaimed to himself silently. "Mitt'mega'nuarada, please come in," he said into his comlink, curious to know if his sister had survived. Nothing but static from her end as he repeated the transmission in hopes of her getting it and replying that she was safe.

But when there was still nothing from her after the fifth time, he knew for certain that she had not escaped alive. "Start search parties, fan out across the entire planet and rescue any survivors that happened to be stranded. I don't care if they're Yuuzhan Vong or Chiss, rescue them and bring them to the infirmary even if they're not wounded," he ordered, not letting his feelings get in the way. "Yes sir, we'll also have medical teams ready for those that need immediate assistance if you wish," the Ensign said.

"Do that, they'd never survive the evac process if they're fatally wounded. Besides, we need to save as many as we can, including the ones on the floating isles," Thrawn replied. Within minutes, his men were sending medical teams to every angle of the planet and scanning every millimeter for life. He hoped that his sister had just dropped her comlink and was actually alive but he couldn't know for sure. And as the medical teams began making their rescues and recoveries, he had to admit he was surprised by the lack of actual rescues which meant that the death toll was significant.

**Of all the things** that could have gone horribly wrong for Intendant Nom Anor, the destruction of Zonama Sekot was not something he had been planning on. He had been out of the range of the volcanoes so he didn't get vaporized in the eruptions and was underground so he wasn't burned alive. However, when he resurfaced, the damage was unbelievable and he had no way of finding his bearings in this burning wasteland that Zonama had become.

_What in the name of all things sacred has happened here?_ he asked himself angrily. Searching for survivors, he found some that had hidden beneath rocks and others who were lucky they hadn't been burned by the flaming pieces of wood they used for shelter. "Are you alright, Intendant Anor?" one of the surviving soldiers asked him. "Just fine, I was not in the path of the blast when it happened but what caused it?" he demanded.

"A green beam came from the sky and the result was total destruction across the entire planet," the soldier answered. Probably has to do with that Talisman, Yuuzhan Vong do not wield weapons that fit that description though amphistaffs are the closest Nom Anor observed. "Then let's begin making it easy for the medical teams Thrawn is sure to send to find survivors," he ordered aloud.

The soldiers with him bowed, knowing that that would be a good idea and began doing what they could to help save lives. In all his years as a politician, Nom Anor had never believed that he would be finding himself saving lives rather than destroying them. However, he was content that the Glory of Shimrra had been destroyed to the last molecule which meant most of his people were too. Granted, there were enough to restore the population and that was the way that it should be.

Still, he was victorious in his aim to reduce the Yuuzhan Vong population to such that he could work in his own plans for the future. It was all thanks to the woman that had come from the deep recesses of the Void and had been persuaded to help him through his own means. Now it was time for one more thing, it was time to collect on the powerful artifact that had surely caused this to Zonama. At last, the powers that would dwarf the Gods themselves would be his and all his intents would be met.

**Arden had arrived via** a coralskipper to the burning planet of Zonama Sekot. All around her, the damage of her test with the Talisman laid before her. "By the Force, what have I done?" she asked when she saw it for the first time. "You did what was necessary for the good of yourself and your galaxy. There was a benefit to all of this even if you don't realize it now," Czulkang answered, having reunited with her on the way down.

"What benefit is that?" she demanded. "Maybe not benefit, let me reword it. Everything has a purpose: this destruction will be nothing in twenty, twenty-five years or so. Life will rise and prosper back here as it always has on the living planet," Czulkang replied with a half-smile.

"Take me to one of the lava spews, I think it's time I did something I should have done twenty-five thousand years ago," Arden requested. "Which is?" he inquired. "I'm going to destroy the Talisman before I allow it to fall into the hands of someone like Nom Anor," she replied. Grinning now, Czulkang told her that that was what he liked to hear from a woman such as her on the matter of it. "Commander, where is the nearest spew of lava flowing on this planet?" he asked the pilot.

"Dead ahead, shall I hover over it?" the pilot replied. Czulkang told him to do just that and that was where they headed. Tearing the strip of string that held the Talisman around her neck, she held it out and over the edge of the coralskipper as they approached the one thing that could destroy it now. After all, it had lied to her about the planet of its creation being destroyed: Arden was flying over its surface.

_No Arden Lyn, you know not what you set in motion by doing this!_ the Talisman warned. _You possessed my husband, used his body to rape me towards the end of his life. I was a helpless coward then but now you are under my possession and I can decide your fate_ she replied. _You were able to cheat death because of me and this is the thanks I get!?_ it demanded.

_This is the thanks you get for all the bad you have brought upon me which outweighs any good_ she snapped. It continued to beg for its existence but Arden Lyn wouldn't listen, not now or here.


	17. SW: ALC: Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

Nom Anor observed a coralskipper fly across the sky towards one of the volcanoes, possibly to check for survivors. It was then that he decided to order one for himself and follow the path of the one that had just crossed his eyes._ There's no reason that a ship should be heading for the epicenter of a volcanic eruption, there wouldn't be survivors there_ he observed silently. Keeping a close eye on that coralskipper, he arrived just in time to see that Arden Lyn was one of the passengers.

What surprised him, far more than that, was that she was holding the Talisman by its chain out the port of the ship and above the lava. "No Arden, don't you dare let go of that thing! If that little thing is the cause of the green beam and all this destruction, hand to me at once!" Nom exclaimed. Arden looked up to see him, shocked that he would follow her here and have the gall to say that to her face.

"No Intendant, this power is too great to be trusted with any hands of mortal flesh. Least of all yours," she replied. "I have held many powerful weapons in my lifetime and wielded them successfully though I'm sure I don't compare to the wise old man behind you," he said, gesturing to Czulkang. "You misunderstand Nom Anor: the Talisman was forged by a being so obsessed with the Force..." she began.

"Go on, what?" Nom demanded. "That the price of his becoming like it was that he was stripped of a body containing flesh and bone. He wouldn't have survived as long as he has without the aid of a container such as this that wouldn't be affected by time under the right circumstances. His obsession to become a god that wielded only the Force cost him heart and thus, his soul," she finished.

"So his obsession brought about his undoing though the Talisman was created in the process. What does it matter when he is a god as a result but one that can be wielded to the benefit of any that possess him?" Nom demanded. "You misunderstand what she says, Intendant Anor," Czulkang interjected. "Then enlighten me, old fool!" Nom exclaimed.

"One does not possess this power without paying a toll for it, Xendor's ancestors recognized this after the original Kashi Mer transformed himself into this artifact. In the end, the Talisman will eat at your mind until you are but a hollow shell waiting for him to fill it with his own soul. If ever that were to happen, he would gain immortality and become the god he always wished to be. Would you be willing to trade your mind and soul for the power the Talisman offers?" Arden replied.

_Do not listen to her, Nom Anor. I await the touch of your hands against my containment, do not let her take away your chance to use the powers of a god_ a voice said in Nom's mind._ Immortality, invincibility, and the power to destroy entire worlds simply awaiting my acceptance of you_ Nom mentally replied as he extended a hand to try and grab it. "Give it to me, Arden Lyn, I wish to have it!" he shouted aloud.

"No, Nom Anor, you are unfit to possess that which seeks only to destroy. Sure you may get a few years of invincibility out of the Talisman and you might succeed in all your goals. But by the time you do that, the Talisman will have molded and ripened you to a point where the spirit within can take you. Your mind would be crushed and your soul destroyed before the might of the spirit this prism of glass carries as he replaced both with himself," Arden replied.

"In other words, you are more than unfit to even touch this weapon of mass-doom, never mind wield it," Czulkang added. Arden nodded but kept her hand firmly on one end of the chain that suspended the Talisman above a massive pool of lava. In his mind, Nom Anor could hear the voice of the Talisman begging Arden to reconsider what she was doing. Unfortunately, he could also hear her rebuffing its requests and he insisted on his verbal demand to have it.

"So shallow are you Nom Anor, that you know not what you'd do if you had this damned thing in your possession. It ravaged my galaxy by taking over the minds of such warriors as my husband, mightiest of his time, and channeling their power for destructive purposes. Would you be willing to let it do that to your people for eons more and countless other galaxies beyond you?" she asked. "My people are fools, indulged to the point of spoil by their years of war and success!

"No bigger a fool is there than the old man next to you, Arden Lyn. I intend to wipe the universe clean of people like him and start a new universe under my image!" he answered. "Then I'm afraid there's only one thing remaining to do," Arden said. Right after that, she loosened her grip on the chain and half of its total length slipped out of her hands as Nom made to jump toward it.

"Onimi is defeated, Depa is dead, and I want home! Do not demand more of me, Intendant!" she shouted. "I'd listen to her if I were you," Czulkang said approvingly. "Oh I am not demanding, I am requesting," Nom said, extending his hand out as far as he could.

He did this in such manner that she could place it into the palm of his hand and they would be on their way. "I can guarantee you first-class passage to wherever you wish to go, you can even avoid Thrawn's eye if you want to," Nom offered. "Czulkang has already agreed to drop me off at a spot most likely to be visited by the Chiss rescue teams in the next hour or so. I don't intend to avoid Thrawn, I intend to speak with him," Arden said, loosening her grip a little more.

Now, only a small portion of the chain was actually in her hand and all she needed to do was let go of her grip completely before it was sent plummeting into the lava lake below. "Swear that you shall leave me alone and that you'll see to it that no one takes vengeance against me. I _might_ reconsider dropping this if you make this oath to me," Arden ordered. "All right, I swear it, just give it to me!" Nom demanded.

Arden paused and for a while, there was no exchange of words between Arden and Nom nor any additional comments from Czulkang. _Save me Nom Anor, save me. She deceives you in what she says about what I do to those who possess me. My previous possessors drove themselves into the madness and destruction she speaks of_ the Talisman said to him.

_I am doing what I can but still she is persistent in seeing your doom_ Nom replied mentally. Then Arden did it: she let go of the last of the chain and Nom Anor helplessly watched as it fell to the lava that beckoned below them. Closing his hand and clenching his fist hard, Nom couldn't believe that he had failed to achieve the power of a god. He had vowed to obtain every single want or need that he had in his life and this was the first failure that he had come across in that intent.

He watched as the glass prism made contact with the lava, initially just standing on the surface of the thick, burning substance. Then it began sinking in and as it did so, a green fire escaped from the glass, taking form and substance as the spirit of Kashi Mer attempted to pull Arden with them. However, she repelled it with Force Lightning, making sure that it didn't even touch her as it was sucked back down into the lava and vaporized. No, that power was meant for me Nom thought but didn't say.

"Now if you'll excuse me, Intendant. I have to go home," Arden said before nodding to Czulkang as a signal that it was time to leave. But then, Czulkang reminded her about Depa and asked if this might be a good place to have a funeral. Arden lit up and nodded as she levitated the corpse of her apprentice from out of the coralskipper and gently placed it onto the molten lava. However, this did not happen before she silently offered prayers up to a mysterious deity she called the Chronicler.

Then she let go of her hold over Depa's body and all of the passengers of the two coralskipper watched as Depa's robes lit aflame before her body sank below. "Rest in peace, child of the Force," Nom heard Arden say. Then he looked up just in time to see the ship that carried her whisk away to another sector of the planet where the Chiss were bound to show up. But the Intendant didn't feel sadness for what had happened to Depa nor pity for Arden having to do what she had done.

Instead, he only felt hatred at himself for having failed to obtain the Talisman and all its power. But with this also came guilt, not just for failing to achieve a goal for the first time in his life but for having done what he had done to attempt its achievement. Perhaps Czulkang was right after all in what he had said about Nom Anor having no understanding of emotion or an understanding of how humans worked. _If that's the case, it truly does show that Czulkang has learned more than how to kill or shelter his son in his years alive_ Nom thought with an unpleasant smile.

But then it occurred to him that since Arden had fought Onimi, it would be best to assume that he had been in the path of the beam and thus would be where it ended. "Commander, did anyone see where the green beam stopped?" Nom asked. "If there was an end to it, it was most likely in the mountains because all but one in the entire range were destroyed before it dissipated," he answered._ Interesting, maybe he is there after all_ Nom thought but didn't say.

Aloud, he ordered the pilot of his coralskipper to head to the mountain in question and see if they could find anyone at the base. It would be interesting to see what happened to the Court Jester that had so rigorously puppeteered the Supreme Overlord and nearly succeeded in a takeover. Even if he died, he would be a laughable sight to look upon when Nom finally did see him. It would compensate for the guilt that he felt at the failure to obtain the Kashi Mer Talisman from Arden Lyn.

**Onimi was unconscious for** gods knew how long but when he finally awoke, he did so to the sound of a coralskipper approaching. The vibrations in the air combined with the rumbling of the ships biological engines was enough to completely awaken him from his trance. However, he wasn't in any mood to see who it was that rescued him unless it was Overlord Shimrra himself. Unfortunately, his recovering sight and hearing revealed that it was Nom Anor coming to his aid.

"Why do you assist me now when you attempted my assassination through the human women?" Onimi demanded weakly. "Only to see what powers they had and if they might be useful to me in the future. But unfortunately, the survivor of your confrontation saw to it that I could not command her powers to the cause of our people," Nom answered calmly. This was probably a lie but Onimi didn't care, he was about survival at the moment and it would come to him at all costs.

"Humans will always be some of the most stubborn, demanding creatures we have ever known," Onimi said. Just then, Nom Anor chuckled and extended a hand to his former enemy, suggesting that he hurry with deciding whether or not to go with him. _If my plans are to succeed, it would appear that I have to trust the Intendant for once_ Onimi thought grimly. He grasped the Intendant's hand with one of his own malformed hands and let him pull him up into a bed in the ship.

"You disappoint me sometimes, Intendant Anor," Onimi said almost in time to slip back into unconsciousness. "Get used to it, I'm probably going to disappoint many people in the future, you being the least of them," Nom Anor snapped. Onimi smiled, admitting that his adversary was probably right before then submitting to his body's will. It was enough for a little while, after all, and he would join Vergere in the infirmary soon enough.

**"This place might smell** a little of burned corpses but other than that, it should be ideal for one of Thrawn's teams to come searching for survivors," Czulkang stated. Arden smiled, not minding the smell that he had hinted to her before walking towards the exit. However, she stopped just before getting off and looked back at the old Yuuzhan Vong that had been such a help to her. She couldn't help her feet or her arms as she leapt at him and gave him a tight hug, thanking him for all he had done for her.

"I don't understand," Czulkang admitted. "Amongst humans, hugging is a way for us to show our affections whether to family, friends, or romantic interests. In this case, this is a friendship sort of affection I'm expressing to you," Arden explained. Czulkang chuckled and smiled, wrapping his own arms around her to return the favor for her which seemed to warm his old heart more than anything.

"I have never seen a warrior so grateful for kindnesses done to her by anyone," Tsavong stated. "The last time anyone did me a kindness was when I was twenty-four... More than twenty-five millenniums ago," Arden confessed. "In that case, you were far overdue for my father to come in and assist you as much as he had even without Nom Anor on your back," Tsavong said with a laugh.

Arden smiled and giggled, admitting that it was somewhat funny the way Tsavong teased about Nom Anor. "You guys watch that sleazy son of a whore while I'm gone, right?" Arden asked both Warmasters of Domain Lah. "Arden Lyn, you can count on it!" Tsavong vowed excitedly. "Do not fear, he won't be hanging around me and my son anytime in the future," Czulkang added in agreement.

"Thank you two for everything," Arden said as she gave Tsavong a less tight hug though still relatively affectionate. Smiling, Tsavong returned the embrace and had to admit he could see why his father found it so comforting. "You are many things Arden Lyn: warrior, sorceress, woman, lover, everything beneath the stars of the universe that humans can be," Czulkang said. "But at the same time, I am also nothing," Arden replied.

Looks like I forgot to say that she was wise. Oh well, she probably knows that I wished to say it Czulkang thought with a smile. "May the Force be with you, Arden Lyn. And may whatever gods exist, of my people or of yours, protect you on your journeys in life," he said aloud. "May your gods protect you and your son on your journeys as well," Arden replied before jumping out of the ship.

When she landed safely, Czulkang nodded for the pilot to continue back to his personal cruiser where he didn't doubt Shimrra would be expecting him and his son. "Will we ever see her again, father?" Tsavong asked after they began their approach to the cruiser. Czulkang looked at his son, a little surprised that he would ask this question of his ancient father.

"I don't know, Tsavong but truthfully, I'm somewhat hoping we don't," Czulkang admitted. "Why?" Tsavong inquired, surprised. "Because the next time we meet, we may be forced to fight her and attempt to kill her. Only problem is I don't doubt that she would be more than capable of turning the tables on us with her power," Czulkang explained calmly.

"You actually believe it'll be at least twenty-five years before we see her again, if we see her at all?" Tsavong asked. Czulkang nodded and when his son demanded an explanation for this belief, he gave him one. "Besides the truce forbidding us from entering the galaxy, Arden is one of those 'once-in-a-lifetime' sorts of people. It's better to only encounter them once on good terms and hear about the rest of their deeds than to have one good encounter against many bad ones," he said.

"Your fear, however, is that Arden's power won't leave us very much room for 'many bad encounters'," Tsavong guessed. "Yes son, what she bears in her is nothing like what I have seen before or since but that is not what makes her unique. Perhaps this is the old fool in me thinking but I believe that what makes her so special is that she is just as human as any human we have encountered before. She has power greater than just about any that we have had the pleasure of cutting down before but she uses her very human mistakes to learn how to wisely wield the power inside her.

"Arden is nowhere near as perfect an entity as one of the gods but, for some reason, I don't think she needs to be in order to wield the power she wields. Again, perhaps it's just the old fool in me but I choose to believe that it's better our paths never intertwine with her again for all our sakes," he confessed. "You are no fool, father; you're wiser than I could ever hope to be and are more qualified to be a Supreme Overlord than Shimrra. In fact, it's a wonder our system doesn't allow for ascendances from current ranks as you would be worthy of that after all your years," Tsavong stated.

"It's funny you mention that son because I was the one who made that proposal originally. The people of that time were to prone to seizing power wherever they could with nary worry or care. In the end, they destroyed themselves using the very power that they couldn't wield for themselves. Thus, when I arrived during the time of the Impaler, I used this measure to make sure he never rose again," Czulkang replied.

Tsavong couldn't believe what he was hearing, his father had suggested the fixation of the caste system? Granted, he was old enough to have been there when it was first accepted but to think that he was the one that originated it was unbelievable. "You made a wise decision father, it's just amazing that anyone accepted it unless you proposed it after the death of the Impaler," Tsavong said after thinking. And indeed, the more he thought about it, the more it did turn out to be a wise decision on the part of his father who nodded at his guess that it was proposed after the Impaler's death.

"The people needed hope that someone like him would never rise again, even after I severed his head and showed it to them. Thus, I invented the fixation of the caste system and saw to the Impaler's less-tyrannical heir being placed on the throne instead of me as the people wanted," his father added. _Truly, his intellect makes me dizzy sometimes; how can I ever hope to compete with him even if I do have a long career?_ Tsavong asked himself silently. The two exchanged no more words after that last comment was made and for the two Lahs, there was no more need; their work was done, after all.

**Thrawn had medical teams** spread out across the entirety of Zonama Sekot along with teams of firefighters ready to extinguish the flames of destruction upon arrival. That was the easiest job to do and immediately, he could see some of the planet beginning to heal from the burning ravages. However, he still needed to search for survivors of the destruction and there was no sign of his sister whatsoever. All hope seemed lost in his search for her and it looked like finding anyone significant had to be given up.

But then, the Ensign brought him a report that they had saved more people than their calculations had said would have been dead in such circumstances. "And something else Admiral: there's a woman in black robes from head to toe, carrying a pair of lightsabers. She called herself Arden Lyn and demands to see you at your earliest convenience. Naturally, I didn't know what she wanted with you and told her that you were unavailable at the moment," the Ensign added.

"You fool, where is she!?" Thrawn commanded. "In the infirmary with emergency service lot, why?" the Ensign asked. "She is one of the veterans of the final battle against the Yuuzhan Vong, the one I have been searching for across fifteen years!" Thrawn exclaimed. The Ensign gulped and quickly apologized, offering to lead the way to where Arden was for his commanding officer.

"Yes, show me where she is then leave us be to talk alone!" he ordered. The Ensign looked to ask if that was wise but he smartly clamped his mouth shut before further aggravating the Admiral. _After all these years, Arden Lyn is still alive! Truly it is a miracle, a gift from the Force itself though I wouldn't mind it having not been an exchange of lives: hers for my sister's_ Thrawn thought.

It brought half a smile came across his face at the prospect of meeting Arden Lyn again after fifteen years but because of his sister, it was only half. He had told Meg so much about Arden, Depa, and their combined power as well as its usage during the rise of the Shadow Conspiracy... She had hoped to meet her before her time had come though sadly, that dream was as dead as she was now. But casting aside his emotions at the death of his sister, Admiral Thrawn prepared himself for anything that could happen when he and Arden exchanged words again for the first time in those fifteen years. Whether she would hate him or be happy as a child to see him, it didn't matter to him, anymore.


	18. SW: ALC: ITV: Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

_How do I greet him, do I reintroduce myself to him after all these years?_ Arden asked himself. It was when he arrived that she decided to just greet him in the way that she had been expecting to do for a while. "Greetings Thrawn, it's been a long time since the last time we have crossed paths. It's a shame that we had to separate under the circumstances that we did, fifteen years ago," she said nonchalantly.

"Indeed... Where is Depa?" Thrawn asked. "Dead, killed fighting Yuuzhan Vong warriors," Arden answered, lying about who had killed Depa. "I... I'm sorry to hear that," Thrawn said, his tone giving that he was honest about it. "It still hurts due to how recent that it was: she died about a couple hours before I was rescued by one of your medical teams that put me in here almost immediately.

"Truly, I have to hand it to you for how rude your people are," Arden teased. "Do not concern yourself with them too much, they're just following protocol," Thrawn replied. "I guess so but then, yet again, sometimes protocol is ridiculous. How else do you think I got to this point in my life, by following protocol all the time?" Arden retorted.

Thrawn chuckled, impressed that she still maintained some of the personality that he had known before. "Are you the cause of the destruction of Zonama Sekot?" he asked after a moment's pause. Arden admitted that she had used the Talisman to create a beam out of Depa's midichlorian count which destroyed most of the planet. "An impressive power, I presume that you decided to destroy the Talisman after seeing that, thus it is not on you now?" Thrawn guessed.

Arden nodded and told Thrawn that Zonama was the place where the artifact had been created and thus, the only place to see its destruction. "Interesting, most interesting. I guess that it was the idea of its creator to do that in order to ensure his invincibility," Thrawn said with a smile. Arden nodded and suggested that now that formalities were aside, they should talk business.

"What business is there to talk about? You have returned to renew our alliance, have you not?" Thrawn asked. "No: I have come to request that it be dissolved until further notice," Arden answered. The Admiral looked a little surprised that she would come to suggest this amongst all things that she could've suggested after returning from the depths of the Void of the universe.

"Are you sure that you're not acting out of grief for what happened to your forces and Depa? It could be that the sadness, while touching, is clouding your rationale," Thrawn inquired. "Thrawn, I have been alive for twenty-five thousand years.

"I lost my husband near the beginning of my hibernation, my family turned on me and aided the Jedi Council tracking me down on several worlds. Because of this, I was forced to kill each and every one of them myself down to the last child until Xendor and my father were all I had left. Even my real father turned against me to the point where I was forced to kill him, making Xendor the only one for me. And when I lost him, I lost all that I had desired and loved until I met Depa and even then, I lost her to the damned Yuuzhan Vong before I could even reforge my life!

"I've gotten used to having traumatizing emotional injuries to the point where it doesn't affect my rationale. Until you have experienced what I have, I don't think you'd be able to compare to me," Arden explained.

Thrawn heaved a massive sigh and shrugged, admitting that perhaps she was right about her psychology. "I doubt I'd ever be able to know what that's like but I do know what it's like to lose family. My sister was killed when that beam destroyed the surface of Zonama Sekot," he said. Arden herself was surprised by hearing about Thrawn's own sister and apologized accordingly.

"It's not your fault, she probably would have begged me to kill her anyway considering that I had charged her with assassinating her husband, the leader of the Ascendancy. But, her sacrifice clears the path to my leading the Ascendancy into its future which I guess works out as a good thing. You don't plan on changing your mind about dissolving the alliance, I could use your power to great purpose," Thrawn replied. "I've got everything I need on my own, I think it's time I tried living my life alone for a little bit; political regimes aren't exactly my thing," Arden said with a smile.

Thrawn chuckled, wondering if perhaps, she had good reason to think that considering her history as one of the leaders of the Legions of Lettow. "I wonder what it must have been like living under the shadow of a man like Xendor before the end of the Legions," he said after thinking for a bit. "Immediately, I can tell you that it would not have been easy living under him but given the time, it would was impossible," she admitted. "I respect your decision to dissolve the alliance, therefore I shall be very generous in what I give you to make a good start in the Known Space.

"Much has changed since you left it to fight the Yuuzhan Vong though I suspect you could guess that much already," he said. "Do explain what you mean by your generosity," she said. "I shall issue an order that all Chiss forces shall leave you be whenever you come into our space. For those hapless, incompetent fools that don't however, you shall be allowed to kill them if they do not learn their error," he explained.

Arden thought about that for a moment and smiled at the sadism behind the idea of it. "Throw in a stamp to come and go as I please and you got yourself a deal," she said with a giggle. Thrawn chuckled and stated that he would add the stamp to the deal, persuading her to shake his hand. Arden did just that and she had to admit that it was somewhat refreshing to joke and laugh with someone.

After all, a fifteen-year hibernation, the death of Depa, and the destruction of the Talisman brought a weight that laughter and jokes helped to lighten it up. _If only I had come back before Depa died, maybe it would have been a heartier reunion_ Arden thought but didn't say. _Truly she has quite a way with people despite having been born twenty-five millenniums ago_ Thrawn thought. "I don't suppose that you'll be going back to Irkalla again?" the Chiss Admiral asked aloud.

"I think that might be wise considering how I managed to hide for thousands of years pretty well before your men discovered me. Besides, I need to go into a trance to heal from my grief for the death of Depa and my companions," she answered immediately. "Very well, I shall arrange transportation to the caves of Irkalla as soon as you're ready to travel," he said. "In that case, you might want to have it ready in a few seconds: I'm ready now," she retorted.

"I like you, Arden. I really do," Thrawn said with a smile. Arden shrugged and said that she didn't know what it was but people like her at some level or another. "Maybe that's an advantage more often than not," Thrawn suggested before ordering the shuttle.

**As was typical of** his days in the Imperial Palace, Emperor Palpatine enjoyed his rule over the Empire he had created from the ashes of the old Republic. It was always typical that he relished in it due to the destruction of the Jedi Order that had been his enemy since the beginning. However, he was a little upset: his ally in the Unknown Regions had yet to find a powerful Force-sensitive named Arden. His interest in her was simple: see if he could use her power to enhance his grip on the galaxy and secure its eternity until he no longer had a use for her.

But of course, he wanted to also see if she could go beyond the standards of most of his other servants like Lord Vader, for instance. True that Vader had been forged from the burnt body of the most powerful of the Jedi Order but he was far from what Sidious had hoped. Now however, he had been presented by Admiral Thrawn with a possible opportunity for a new apprentice. As if the thought of it provoked a summoning, Palpatine's channel for Thrawn came to life in a series of beeps.

Answering it quickly, Sidious immediately requested to hear what Thrawn had to say. "The search for Arden Lyn has gone more than well: she's been found after all this time. She was beyond the Void of the universe, fighting her Yuuzhan Vong captors despite losing her apprentice in the process. And there is something else that may interest you: she used an artifact that allowed her to light a whole world aflame," Thrawn answered excitedly.

_The Force has proven to grant extraordinary capabilities to those who know how to control it but that much power? It's more than I have ever known except perhaps when I created the blackhole_ Lord Sidious thought silently. "And where is she now?" he asked aloud. "I've already seen to her return to the caves of Irkalla so that she had time to grieve for her friends alone," Thrawn answered.

"And how long am I to wait until she is done?" Sidious inquired impatiently. He wanted to bring Arden into the picture as soon as he could but he would not waltz into a trap. "I'd give her a minimum of six months to a maximum of a full standard year. She intends to go into a meditative trance to heal herself within before repairing exterior damage she suffered," Thrawn confessed.

_That doesn't seem too bad, I've already had to wait fifteen years before hearing any good news about her. I can wait a little while longer before she joins my legions and enhances the strength of my regime. Admiral Thrawn has done well for himself and for me, far more than either of us could ever anticipate_ Sidious thought but didn't say. ""That is an interesting method but why all that time?" he asked aloud.

"She was put into a trance of suspended animation for twenty-five thousand years before her reawakening during the Clone Wars. I think it's safe to say the shock of all that had happened since her time was more than overwhelming and I admit I barely gave her time to recover like normal humans. Still, it made it interesting to interact with her considering what she knew of days before the Sith and the Jedi and not too long after the Rakata Invasions," Thrawn answered._ That knowledge could be useful in the right hands_ Sidious observed enthusiastically.

"In that case, I will have agents ready to pick her up in six months. I will not wait out the full year before putting her talents to use in my Empire," he stated aloud. "Very well, I already told her that I would try to guarantee her as much as I could thought I couldn't promise more than that," Thrawn said. Then the Chiss Admiral bowed and was about to disconnect before a troubling matter popped into his mind, preventing the transmission from ending abruptly.

"Forgive me intruding, milord, but what is your interest in Arden Lyn? Why is it that you are so eager to add her to your growing collection of powerful wielders of the Dark Side?" he asked. Sidious was initially surprised that his Chiss subordinate would have the gall to ask him such a heavy question. But the Emperor of the greatest Sith Empire that history had ever seen was not going to deny one of his greatest servants knowledge that he was eager to absorb like a sponge to water.

"During the Clone Wars, there was an organization led by my former apprentice, Darth Maul. The organization was called the Shadow Collective and had many members from different criminal families. One such member was a fallen Jedi named Depa Billaba and the most that was known of her was that she was apprentice to a very powerful woman: I'm eager to know if that was Arden Lyn. In addition, if that's so, I would like to know the full extent of her potential and its benefits for me," Sidious said.

"If you wanted to know who Depa's Mistress was, you should've asked me. It was Arden Lyn and indeed, the women were allies to the Shadow Collective though theirs was a minimal part," Thrawn stated. "And how would you know this?" Sidious inquired. "My men helped revive Arden Lyn and I was originally a secret ally of the Shadow Collective.

"In fact, it was I who ordered the repairs to the damage to Savage and Maul both took from the Jedi and sent them on their way. However, that was where my part ended and I drew my attention back to my greatest enemy at the time. Arden helped me with holding back this enemy whilst her apprentice helped with giving the Shadow Collective and its leaders a good start," Thrawn admitted. "Impressive, most impressive; a shame you didn't tell me this at the time you delivered the brothers into my hands for execution," Sidious snarled.

"Ah but that's what makes it so interesting: it was an opportunity to analyze your mind without compromising much of my own," Thrawn retorted. Sidious smiled, once again realizing that he had been outwitted by the Chiss Admiral even if it was on a small matter long behind in the past. "Under that logic, you have proven yourself even worthier to join my ranks," he said, proving it in his tone. "And I very much look forward to that day when it comes, milord," Thrawn said with a bow.

It was at this time that the transmission was finally disconnected and Sidious laughed in his usual demeanor. Indeed, Thrawn would be a fine specimen to add to the collection and he wondered if the Chiss would make a good second-in-command should Vader fall. True that he wasn't Force-sensitive and probably wouldn't stand a chance against some of Sidious' other servants anyhow. However, if the dark lord could somehow guarantee his protection over Thrawn, it could work in his favor.

And it was just his luck that he had to be thinking about what would happen in Vader died as the man came into his throne room as he had requested earlier. "You summoned me, Master?" Vader asked, proving the point to the Emperor even further. "Yes, Lord Vader: the great Arden Lyn that Thrawn has spoken of has been found after fifteen years of searching. Granted, we will have to wait another six months before she can be of convenience to us but she is alive and well," Sidious said immediately.

"With due respect Master, wouldn't it be better to go and recruit her now? I could go with a couple of Emperor's Hands and see to her joining our ranks?" Vader suggested. "Tempting but I'm afraid that she would be in no mood to join us as of now. Thrawn has told me of how she has lost much during her travels in the Void of the universe and must be allowed time to recover," Sidious replied.

"You've never been one to be that merciful to anyone before, why should you be this way to her of all people?" Vader asked. Sidious smiled and chuckled, his apprentice never ceasing to amaze him with the surprises he threw at him even if he was just a minor success in the scheme of things. "You have learned much from your training under me, Lord Vader. However, it is not mercy that I deal out to Arden Lyn: it is an acceptance of the bounds of the human psyche.

"She would be far more useful to me having at least strengthened her resolve enough to put her grief aside when she needed to than if she hadn't. There is only so much mind-bending you can do to someone like her before they snap and turn on you, even I know that well," he explained. "That didn't stop you from freeing me from the boundaries of the Jedi," Vader stated. "No it didn't but it did stop me from completely shattering your resolve and making you a mindless puppet.

"True that I have the potential to do that but the way of the Sith invites betrayal, a strength and a weakness of our Order at the same time. Had I completely broken your mind and turned you into a puppet, you'd be no more useful to me than the droids you scrapped during the Clone Wars. Would you have wanted that to be your fate with how powerful you were and still are?" Sidious asked. Vader paused before speaking, his breathing being the only sound that his Master could hear from him.

Then he spoke and admitted that he wouldn't want Palpatine to have done that to him after all they had been through together. "Good, now you understand what I must do in order to persuade Arden Lyn to serve us. I cannot afford to break her mind too much or else I risk the loss of a potentially excellent ally. With all that aside, I have a mission for you: I need you to go to Dantooine and purge the galaxy of a Jedi Knight named Falon Grey and his clone called X2," Palpatine said immediately.

"Yes my master, it shall be done," Lord Vader stated with a bow. Sidious returned the formality and sat back down on the chair in the center of his Throne Room. Here, he felt like a god amongst mortals yet this was also where he felt like he was beneath all others. He wasn't quite sure why yet but he was confident of one thing: if anything held the cure to this problem, it the addition of Arden Lyn. _That woman has become more important than I thought she would, strange but true_ he thought.


	19. SW: ALC: ITV: Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Returning to Irkalla to begin the trance within the caves had been the easiest part of Arden's trip back to the cold, forsaken planet. The hard part was actually finding the will to go into it considering that she had had visions of both past and future during her time in suspended animation. Whether this was because of the Talisman's power or not, she couldn't be certain. However, despite its power to help her cheat death, she had to admit it was hard for the the artifact to have given her premonitions as well.

True that it had stored twenty-five thousand years of information that she could receive it all at once when she awoke. However, because of that mechanism, she found it difficult to believe that it could implant premonitions into her head without the information that would allow it to do so._ Even if Kashi Mer was close to omnipotence, it seemed that the ability to see the future slipped past him. A pity considering how close he was, admittedly, to reaching his obsessive and perverted view of perfection_ Arden thought to herself with a smile.

Breathing in and out in the same manner that she always did when she was entering a trance, she allowed her mind to forget all cognitive thoughts as they would be a distraction to her. Instead, she let it empty and let all her more unimportant memories fade from the eye of her mind into its darker bowels. Now, she was in the state of being that could simply be defined as mental non-existence or as scientists would probably call it, a complete shutdown of all mental functions. With her mind prepared, she readied her body for what was probably going to be another relatively lengthy Force-induced trance.

It seemed her luck that she always ended up with trances more than a few hours or so but she wondered how long this one would be. True that being stuck in an escape pod had proven to last fifteen years and it was true that her first trance lasted twenty-five thousand. Still, she often wondered if she could somehow make herself pretty close to immortal with these sorts of things going for her. It was within her power to slow her aging down relatively significantly as it had been in the power of others.

Granted, she didn't want to cheat death for longer than the Force was willing to let her but the Chronicler had spoken of it being this kind to her so far. She could be fairly sure that her ability to live an extensive life wouldn't run out just yet. Or was it really a kindness that the Chronicler had dictated for her as opposed to a test of her willpower? Could it be that she had been selected to endure the most hellish test of all species and tell other mortals about the results of it?

If that was so, she wondered why neither the Talisman nor the Chronicler had even clued into such an idea, nevermind confessed full details to her. To her, it was like telling her to do a job a certain way without teaching her how to complete it in that way but that was the beauty of the Force. At most, one only had clues as to how they could achieve its will for good or evil, for love or hatred. It never revealed more than it wished to because what it wished to reveal was no more than most would need.

Perhaps there was some merit in the exclusionary ways of the Jedi Order from her time after all and she had failed to see it. Despite all these things going against her, Arden had only one vision: a little girl with black hair like hers. What did this child mean, was she a sign of a future that Arden had hoped for that was coming true at last? As she finally tranced, she quit caring and relaxed... for the moment.


	20. SW: ALC: TDD: Prologue & First Chapter

Star Wars

The Arden Lyn Chronicles

The Dark Days

By

Christopher Cleveland & Diego Feliu

**Prologue**

From the Imperial Palace on Coruscant, Emperor Palpatine gazed up to his greatest creation as it slowly came to life. The Death Star was almost ready for its application in combat and Wilhuff Tarkin was certainly doing a superb job on its construction. However, the Dark Lord of the Sith felt hollow even so for he had yet to acquire someone he had longed to recruit: he wanted Arden Lyn in his ranks. Six months had come and gone since the day that Chiss Admiral Thrawn had informed him of her return from beyond the Unknown Regions, fighting the enemy that he had long held back and had defeated.

He couldn't wait any longer, not when his quarry was now so close to possibly becoming his ultimate prize. _A powerful individual such as herself cannot be allowed to remain rogue for any reason_ he told himself silently. "Captain Tarkin?" Palpatine asked into his comlink. "My liege?" was the reply.

"Inform my three finest Inquisitors that I have a special mission for them and they are to report to my headquarters at once," Palpatine ordered. "As you command, master. Do you wish to know the current progress on the Death Star?" Tarkin inquired. "Perhaps another time, for the moment, sending my Inquisitors on their way is all that concerns me," Palpatine said.

"Very well, milord," Tarkin said before cutting transmission. _Loyal servants like him always come in handy until they start demanding what they feel is rightfully theirs. The most annoying ones are the ones who feel the need for vengeance for reasons unknown_ he thought with a smile. It was then that he was surprised with both the speed and the efficiency with which his Inquisitors came.

However, this surprise was soon washed away by his pride at who the three had turned out to be. The first was his Grand Inquisitor Laddinare Torbin with Antinnis Tremayne flanking his left and Ameesa Darys on his right. "Excellent, the mission I have for you three is very top secret and requires no small amount of stealth and cunning. For this reason, I am glad that Torbin's tactical genius can be applied to it: on Irkalla, there lives a woman called Arden Lyn.

"Bring her to me alive or do not come back alive, yourselves. You will understand her importance to my plans better if you should be forced to face her in combat. However, I recommend avoiding this if at all possible," Palpatine explained. "I can probably sense her potential long before we even need to fight her, I'm proud that you have summoned me to this mission," Torbin replied.

Palpatine smiled, glad to see that Torbin's mind was still the way it was when he first began to train him in the Force. "Remember: I want her alive or else never return, am I understood?" he repeated, questioning especially the subordinates to Torbin with his last comment. "Personally, I don't see why she could be so special but I will obey your command, Master," Tremayne stated, bowing. Darys said nothing, she didn't need to and she was usually a more silent woman than most of Palpatine's servants at any rate though she acknowledged her understanding with a bow.

"Now go to Irkalla and fetch her from the cold depths of its caverns where she remains in a Trance even now," Palpatine commanded, waving his hand with authority as he did so. The trio of servants bowed in unison and left with Torbin marching first and the others following him, haplessly.

**Chapter One**

Grieving for Depa Billaba was a far more profound task than Arden thought it would be when she underwent the Trance. However, she managed to finally find a reason to smile: it was coming to an end and she would soon be able to begin actively pursuing a new life in the alien galaxy before her. But still, something that she had foreseen in what appeared to be her future disturbed her. It was the vision of a little girl who had long, flowing black hair much like Arden's own standing in front of an older man.

What significance did the girl and the man in white and gold have for her? Was this the future of her family life and if so, was the man the father and the girl their daughter? None of it made sense and she hoped that she learned what it meant before the end of her life now that she was no longer immortal. Slowly, she began to come out of her trance, a long and tedious process that was always painful whenever she accidentally hurried one of the steps towards her revival.

Irkalla was still cold and windy like she had remembered it being when she first went into the trance, the caverns were still dark and void of life as she had remembered. But most importantly, she was still very much alone as she had remembered being just before entering the Trance. It seemed her way in life, to be alone and in command of her destiny whenever people were not around. _Still, I often wonder if my life will soon be bound to others or if I'll always be a phantom outcast_ she thought.

The thought saddened her but she supposed it was better than remaining the insane woman that she had been when she had first awakened to the strange new universe around her. As she arose from her trance however, she began sensing presences approaching her lonely queendom. Presences that she had not sensed before nor would have invited into it before her trance if she hadn't wished. She knew she had to deal with these people before they got to the heart of her labyrinth and quickly.

Time was running out and Arden didn't want to be discovered by someone who had been forbidden from discovering her by Chiss Admiral Thrawn. _He promised that his troops would stay clear of my caverns as much as possible_ she reminded herself quietly. However, as she came closer to the approaching phantoms, she sensed that they were not Chiss nor even Republic. They were different with white armor from head to toe except for black visors and underneaths.

Was this a sign of the Empire that Thrawn had rather passively mentioned during their last encounter? How had they managed to find this planet considering its trajectory lying in the Unknown Regions of the Galaxy? It didn't add up and Arden was becoming worried that she might have been tracked down by someone from whom Thrawn couldn't protect her. She had to fight, there was no mistaking it and she began by shooting green bolts of Force Lightning at the enemy before her.

**Torbin sensed the dark** presence before even needing to see the carnage that had surely begun with the detection of his bait stormtroopers. Smiling, he told the other Inquisitors that their target had taken their bait and it was time to head out. "Hold on Torbin, I sense her presence in the Force too: do you really think we have what it takes to destroy her?" Darys asked. "If you don't have the stomach for a fight like this, you can wait here until Tremayne and I get back," Torbin answered wickedly.

"No, not at all. I just wonder if we should go into this with backup," Darys said. "You fool, do you even understand what your title means? For normal stormtroopers, we _are_ the backup if they're up against someone like this Arden Lyn. Now let's get a move on and bring her down for the Emperor," Torbin ordered.

Darys and Tremayne both nodded, following under the heel of their superior who would have waited for no one if he had been on his own. Because of her usage of the Dark Side of the Force, Torbin had no difficulty tracking Arden's every move nor any difficulty pinpointing her location. He had gotten used to having that capability with all beings his Master and perhaps, Lord Vader. Sometimes, even the Emperor's minor masterpiece caught the powerful Inquisitor off guard which was interesting.

But Torbin turned himself away from this mental digression on the prize of the game that was to be played. _Indeed this will most likely be one of the best fights that I have ever had in my life_ he thought to himself gleefully. He had had few challenges in his career as an Inquisitor and quickly rose up to be one of the leaders of his group but he longed for difficult opponents. And when he finally gazed upon the woman that caused the disturbance he had pinpointed he smiled for he wasn't disappointed.

"Arden Lyn, we meet at last. I am Grand Inquisitor Laddinare Torbin and beside me..." he began. "Enough formality, Jedi! Now you die for entering my caverns!" she exclaimed. Shooting bolts of green lightning that the Grand Inquisitor easily deflected, Arden used the distraction to ignite two sabers.

One of them had the green blade of a fallen Jedi though whether this was her own personal one or not, Torbin didn't know nor would care if he did. The other was an orange blade, more likely taken from somebody who had fallen that she had the pleasure of knowing than it was to be her own. Less likely, in fact, than the green one already was and Torbin calculated that it was also unlikely it was hers. Nonetheless, her charge with the usage of Jar'Kai against the Grand Inquisitor astounded him and almost swept him off feet that might have been severed by her blades if he hadn't been careful.

At his signal, Darys lunged with her own usage of the lightsaber form Juyo whilst Tremayne attacked with the full agility and power of Ataru. Torbin himself kept up a steady barrage of Makashi and even together, it seemed as though Arden could beat it all._ Impressive power, no Jedi would have lasted more than half a standard minute against this attack and she's already done better_ he observed to himself. Indeed, the Emperor had chosen wisely in requesting Torbin to bring two other Inquisitors to bring Arden Lyn into the folds of the Empire rather than let her keep on being rogue.

Indeed, her skills with a blade alone were worth bringing her into the fold of the Empire though he highly doubted this was the best that she could do. Thinking about this, Torbin became distracted again and Arden Lyn was quick to exploit it in the form of Force Pushing him against a wall. Then she proceeded to hack at Tremayne until he was almost out of Torbin's line of vision. Finally, she turned her attention back to Darys who she had kicked aside earlier with an impressive sweeping of her leg.

Torbin was about to get up and intervene when he recalled the abnormality of both the precision and the scale of the kick in proportion to her body. _Is this a Terras Kasi user?_ he asked himself silently, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. He watched as even Darys' introduction of her lightsaber being a saberstaff, he could not hold his own against Arden without the rest of the team. But of the two other Inquisitors, only Tremayne intervened though this was before Arden lopped off his legs.

Smiling, Torbin relished in his junior officer's suffering and used it to fuel his own recovery from Arden's blows. However, he didn't recover in time to avoid seeing Arden run Darys through with both of her blades. The young woman groaned in agony and barely managed to keep herself standing up before Arden threw her aside with the Force. Subsequently, in a fit of rage, Tremayne managed to disarm Arden of her lightsabers with his skill in Ataru and had his blade at her neck.

However, Arden conjured more lightning that Tremayne was forced to deflect with his blade, a distraction that worked to her advantage. After deflecting the electricity successfully, Torbin watched while collecting Darys' saber as Arden punched Tremayne five times in rapid succession. Two were aimed at the chest, one was aimed the lungs, another at his stomach, with the final resting on his nose. Torbin was especially amazed at how the punches beared such magnificent strength and precision as to have Tremayne coughing up blood whilst trying to keep his nose together.

Then Arden recalled her lightsabers over to her and ignited the blades in preparation to lay the killing blow on Tremayne. However, Torbin reignited both his saber and Darys' which beckoned a better challenge for the ancient warrior woman before him. Arden smiled, taking the bait that he threw at her and for what felt like eternity but was just a few minutes, the two of them exchanged blows. His use of Jar'Kai was excellent but it had not prepared him for the full barrage of Arden's own abilities in it.

As if that wasn't bad enough, she did incorporate some of the lesser known moves of Terras Kasi such as the kick he had observed earlier. Though he managed to dodge most, one scored a shot in his left jaw hard enough to send him spinning through the air. Fortunately, he used the Force to manipulate the currents of the air and his body movement so to levitate himself back on his feet. Then he charged back into the fray, having quickly recovered from the blow, defended against her next move.

For many seconds, their blades remained crossed with his blades taking the shape of an X in their defense of him and hers taking the shape of II in her attack on him. "This duel has drawn on long enough, it is time to end this," he said at last. Before she could confess her agreement on it though, he surprised her by separating her blades and exposing her chest to a quick stab from both his blades. Instead though, he only used one of his blades to sever her right arm which threw her into a universe of pain that she had never known before.

Immediately, she dropped the lightsaber that had been situated in her remaining hand (the orange one) and tried her best to tend to the stump. She made no screams which surprised Torbin as that was usually the reaction he got from people who lost their limbs before their own eyes. However, he could tell by her face that she didn't need a scream to indicate that it hurt too damn much. Torbin pitied her and was surprised that Tremayne had reignited his saber with the intention of killing her.

"No Tremayne, she must live," Torbin said, raising a hand to stop his remaining subordinate. "But Master, she killed Darys and injured me with her bare hands. She is too dangerous to be left alive!" Tremayne exclaimed. "If left alive and rogue yes but if alive and a servant of our Master, perhaps not," Torbin replied.

"I'll _never_ serve you," Arden hissed. "Oh no, no, no. You wouldn't be serving me, you would be serving my superior. Come with us and hear his offer, I am sure he will think of a most generous one for you," Torbin replied calmly and meticulously.

He used his smile to prey on the innocence he sensed in her mentality as well as the extending of his hand to act as a beacon of hope for her. "I say kill her and kill her now!" Tremayne exclaimed. "Oh no Tremayne, do you remember the Emperor's orders? Come back with this woman in tow or don't come back at all," Torbin reminded.

"Your Emperor has been hoping to see me?" Arden asked. "If that can be arranged for the great Arden Lyn," Torbin answered. "No, it cannot be arranged!" Tremayne interjected. Sighing annoyedly, Torbin placed Tremayne under a Force Crush pulse until he submitted to his superior.

"We will take Arden Lyn to the Emperor and see if we can fetch an artificial replacement for her arm while seeing if she will take his offer of an alliance. Get her a stretcher and find her a comfortable place to rest from her injury in the meantime," Torbin ordered. "Yes Master," Tremayne replied before disappearing to obey his superior's commands. "Why did you spare me and why would your master have an interest in me?" Arden asked when they were alone.

"My master has many Force adepts under his command and while powerful, no two adepts have the same set of talents or the same level in any talent. But amongst the ones still missing, I have detected that your skills in Terras Kasi would be most useful to us if you were to accept. Would you?" Torbin answered. "I don't know, depends on what he can offer me in return," Arden admitted.

"Then I guess we'll have to wait until you meet him to find out, now won't we? Rest in the meantime, it's going to be a little while before we return to Imperial Center. I'll go to comm in my success in bringing you to calmer levels than you were just moments ago," Torbin said, walking away. While it did mean leaving Arden alone to the possibility that Tremayne would try to kill her again, Torbin wasn't worried about that as the junior officer knew what would befall him if he disobeyed his order.

**Six months had come** and gone since the last time that Chiss officer Thrawn had laid eyes on the Force-sensitive rogue known as Arden Lyn. While he had guaranteed her protection for at least that long, he still felt bad that he couldn't guarantee anymore than that. After all, Arden had proven so useful to him in defeating the Yuuzhan Vong despite the Ascendancy cheating him out of his victory. But there were other aims to concern himself with now, one of them being to find a way to ascend from Vice Admiral to Grand Admiral in Palpatine's Empire.

Two months after Arden had underwent the Trance, Thrawn moved into Known Space and had been issued his test by the Emperor. Though he did not succeed in all aspects, the Emperor had been so profoundly impressed by his work as to allow him to have the rank of Vice Admiral. Rather than start from the bottom up, Thrawn only had to do a little more work to earn his desired title. True that it wasn't as bad as it could've been he still wondered what had disappointed the Emperor so much.

But thinking about it gave him a headache and he decided that until he knew what it was that had annoyed the Emperor about his approach, he would continue his old methods. After all, there was no way for him to know what to improve on without knowing what it was that pestered Palpatine, right? _No matter, all shall be revealed to me in good time if it is meant to be revealed at all_ he told himself fervently. After that, he turned his attention back onto the plans that Palpatine had recommended for his return into the Unknown Regions and he was impressed by their humility.

After all, he was being asked to chart the most mysterious part of the galaxy rather than conquer it and bring the information back for future military design. Not a bad goal even by the standards of a man who was high and lofty above all others in the dog-eat-dog empire he had created. Nonetheless, Thrawn's amusement over the plans were soon consumed by annoyance with the arrival of his superior. Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin was not a bad man, he was just bossy and it made Thrawn's skin crawl and send shivers down his spine.

"So tell me Chiss, have you found any means by which we can conduct the most rapid expansion into the Unknown Regions yet? If you can't, no one can, after all," Zaarin asked. "Sir, a rapid and poorly planned expansion such as you're requesting would be suicidal for us all. If you want good results, you're going to have to be a little patient with me as I map out what we have to take," Thrawn answered.

"Truly, that is quite a disappointing reply but I suppose you would know that better than the rest of us. But if you don't mind me asking, how would it be suicidal for us all?" Zaarin inquired. Thrawn heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head, unbelieving that this incompetent fool was his superior. _Unless this is an act he's putting up to annoy me, he is truly an idiot worthy of execution_ he thought.

"Our first problem would be the insectoid Killiks who have a grudge against Chiss like myself for what happened in wartimes long past. As if that wasn't bad enough, they are the first of only dozens of different uncategorized species that want a Chiss head for their collection. And unfortunately, they will expand their range to include allies of the Chiss if they have to become versatile," he explained. "Then I suggest you find a way to get around them for now and then let the Death Star annihilate their worlds when it's ready," Zaarin retorted.

"I plan on it, sir," Thrawn said. "Good, now get back to your work. You have a long road ahead of you after all," Zaarin ordered. Though not for the same reasons as the Grand Admiral had, Thrawn couldn't have agreed more with him.

**Meditating, Palpatine had sensed** tremors in the Force that he only knew could have come from Irkalla. It was clear to him that his Inquisitors had engaged Arden Lyn and the disappearance in the tremors meant that either they had failed or they had succeeded. At this moment, he awoke from his meditation and decided that he was going to need to do some research in case the latter had occurred. He needed to know as best he could what he could do to persuade Arden to join him without any thought to fighting against him and he needed it immediately.

Looking through his old archives which included some ancient scrolls, he found only a couple pages which told of the story of the Legions of Lettow. Their leader had been a man called Xendor and he had been loved by many in the Legions though he had his heart only for one: Arden herself. _Hmm, if she returned the feelings to him then it could prove useful in persuading her. I wonder if she has ever thought about resurrecting him and if whether or not she's tried it_ he thought gleefully.

True that it was cruel for anyone to play with the feelings of a woman whose mind had been ravaged anywhere near as bad as Arden's probably had been. However, wasn't that one of the favorites of the Sith: to be cruel to those of weaker minds than themselves? Granted, this one was not just easy to manipulate but was also relatively unstable and thus, he would have to tread carefully. However, this thought was soon tossed aside when his comlink beeped and flashed the red light of an important message.

"This is the Emperor," he said nonchalantly. "My liege, this is Grand Inquisitor Torbin with exciting news on the quest for Arden Lyn. We have her under our custody and are bringing her back to Imperial Center at this time. However, we request that you have a prosthetic replacement limb ready as I was forced to sever Arden's right arm in the process of taking her into custody," the voice of Torbin said.

"Excellent news, I could have done without the part where her arm was lopped off but other than that, excellent work as always," Palpatine replied. "Thank you my liege and also, we may need to have a moment of silence for Inquisitor Darys: she ended up on the wrong end of Arden's blades. It was tragic but I guess we all saw it coming sooner or later with her attitude," Torbin added.

_Indeed she was one of the most cowardly of Vader's Inquisitors even if she was brave to follow in the footsteps of her Jedi Master Jerec and join me_ Palpatine agreed mentally. "Very well, I think I know just the prostheses to apply to her wound. She will find it most useful regardless of whether or not she agrees to join us," he said aloud. "Though I have not spoken on your behalf, I have told her that you wished to make her an offer in exchange for service, I trust you have one?" Torbin asked.

"Yes, as always, I have an offer that she might just be unable to refuse and will persuade her to hastily agree to a contract with us," Palpatine said with a smile. "Excellent milord, I shall contact you again when we are approaching Imperial Center," Torbin stated with a bow. Transmission was disconnected at that point and Palpatine relaxed into his Throne Room chair gloatingly.

Laughing in his usual demeanor, he came to accept that everything was proceeding as he had foreseen for Arden Lyn. Then a new idea flashed across his mind: the Inquisitors were becoming obsolete though they did not need to be disbanded. He needed a new branch of Force adept that he could trust to serve him on any account, whether related to the Jedi or not. This would have to be a branch of adepts willing to extend his reach across the stars and inspire further fear.

_The Emperor's Hand... that shall be the name of the new branch and it shall destroy all my enemies at my command or dying trying_ he thought with a smile. This new idea, combined with the other dozens that it stirred, turned the gears and engines running in his head rather sadistically.


	21. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Having been anesthetized for the trip to Imperial Center, Arden Lyn had not felt the arrival to the planet nor her body being lifted into a stretcher and carried to the infirmary. However, she could faintly hear the voices of Torbin and Tremayne barking orders, the latter more reluctantly to do so. _Who could blame him? He wants vengeance against me for the injuries that I did him and was unable to do it because of his superior's orders_ Arden thought to herself drowsily.

"Get her the replacement!" she faintly heard Torbin command. "Yes sir!" said an equally faint voice. Tremayne said something to Torbin and due to the fact that he had likely whispered it, she couldn't hear him. However, Torbin's tone in his reply indicated that it was something that would benefit her more than it would harm her. Within minutes, she felt a prick on her arm as well as the effects of what seemed to be a stimulant of sorts that she didn't recognize and almost purged from her body.

However, it worked its way into her and she was soon on her way to being fully awake despite the headache that her revival brought with it. "Slow down Arden, you're safe here," Torbin said gently. "No worries, I'm used to going out cold and reviving with a headache. It's the way it was when I first awoke only that had been worse than even the worst migraine you could have," Arden replied.

"I could imagine and in case you're wondering, the stimulant I injected you with was a concoction of several different preexisting stimulants you may know well. Normally, it's used to heighten the heartbeat of our prisoners so that when they give into their fear, their hearts overload. However, it does have a medicinal purpose as you have beared witness to, yourself," Torbin explained. "Why go to all the trouble to use this drug to torture somebody?" she asked.

"In this time and under this Empire, desperate times call for desperate measures and many of our prisoners force us no choice but to find new ways to make them talk. This is not one of my favorites due to its simplicity to decipher but it is very effective when it is used. In addition, it is one of the few methods that has a zero-percent failure rate as of right now," he answered. "Not bad but what did you revive me for, aren't you going to need to knock me back out when you apply the prosthesis?" she said.

"No, you're much more useful awake for a perfect test of its connectivity to your leftover nerve tissues than you are while passed out. True that we could do it but your reactivity at post-insertion would be all the more helpful," he explained. "So in layman's terms, you need me awake and well to tell you whether I feel anything in the arm or if it feels like a damned piece of coal," she suggested. Chuckling, he admitted that she could put it that way and she smiled, having surprised herself as far as how her personality came across to people of the alien age of the galaxy just in time to see her new arm.

"Ah, here it is now: a pre-Old Sith War Juggernaut war droid arm to serve as your prosthetic replacement. Quite a formidable improvement from your flesh and bone if you ask me," he stated. "If you're so sure, cut my other arm off and get me another one, would you?" she joked sarcastically. "That can be very easily arranged, my dear," he retorted with a wink.

The distraction was all Arden needed to almost completely overlook the attachment of the arm to her stump. Looking back, she was amazed at how natural it felt despite being made of metal and wires. And when the droids tested the feeling in her hands, she was quick to shout her protest at their poking. "So soon and the arm is already working for you, I must say that I am impressed," he said calmly. "I've always been able to adapt to circumstance in a matter of several seconds, a few minutes at most," she admitted. Smiling, he was glad to see that that was the case especially considering what she had been through already.

The thought provoked memories of what had happened to her apprentice, Depa Billaba, while she was in the Void of the Universe. It was a sad time that she had hoped would be overlooked after her meditation trance where she exercised her grief as fully as she could. But she took it as a sign that her friendship with the old woman had been greatly valued in her heart and always would be. "Now that my new arm has been outfitted, perhaps we can turn our attention to seeing your Master?" she asked.

"He has already arranged to see you alone at your earliest convenience. You have only to ask me for directions to his Palace and the Throne Room and the rest is history," he answered. "What about you?" she inquired. "I have other duties that I must attend to but before I go, I will confess that you are one of the few opponents I have faced that has earned my genuine respect as a fighter," he explained.

"Glad a big name such as yours is on my side in a galaxy I don't even know," she said after pausing to think about how to respond to his statement. _Or am I? He doesn't seem like the type I would want to attach my name to even if I had no other choice_ she asked herself quietly. "The datapad with the instructions is here if you do wish to see him now," Torbin said before she could ask.

"Thank you Torbin, I shall commend your generosity and your wisdom to the Emperor," she said before slowly rising from her bed. It took her a little bit of adjusting to do but after a while, her feet felt natural to her again which was a feeling she suspected was lacking during her duel on Irkalla. Immediately, she began following the datapad as faithfully as she could with occasional mishaps in which she was forced to turn back and retrace her steps. However, she arrived in less than an hour despite the inconvenience of some of the residents living on this planet

_Legend has it that this planet is all one huge city. Is that really necessary?_ Arden asked herself without saying. It was here, for the first time in millennia, that she could hear Xendor's voice saying that it depended on her perception of necessity. Giggling, it was good for her to have a flashback of the man she loved even if she did suspect she would be paying for it later.

**"Lord Vader, do you** sense her?" Palpatine asked his apprentice. Vader paused for a moment before responding to that question, letting his connection to the Force strengthen. Then he nodded, stating that it was a strong presence unlike any he had sensed before. "That, my friend, is the power we could wield if we persuade Arden Lyn to join our evergrowing Empire," Palpatine stated.

By the pace of his breathe, this thought seemed to excite his apprentice and he almost had to wonder why Vader was so eager. But then yet again, it had been a long time since either of them had had a decent chance at a new recruit and the thought of having one like this was indeed exciting. However, Palpatine had to inform his apprentice that he was to observe when possible and only offer comments when needed. "She is an ancient being and we don't know what her customs are when it comes to speaking with someone: for all we know, she may want you to leave," he added.

"I understand, Master," Vader replied, somewhat disappointed. "Do not feel too bad, my apprentice. People like her will always need time to adjust to the new oddities that our galaxy can throw at them for certain," Palpatine said reassuringly. As the two Sith Lords wait, they found it surprisingly longer than anticipated for Arden to find her way to the Throne Room. However, when she finally did, her presence was like a massive beacon gone completely out of control.

"Your power is tremendous, young woman. Any greater and you might have given me a heartattack with your mere presence in the Force," the Emperor joked. "So old men attuned to the Force are as weak as ever?" she asked. "That depends on your perception of strength and weakness: physically, I admit I am relatively frail but connect me to the Dark Side and I am very dangerous," he answered with a smile.

"I can imagine, I was the one who married the man that pioneered the beginnings of the modern Sith," she admitted. "So Xendor was more than in love with you as the texts got?" he inquired. "Yes, _far_ more: as I said, I was his wife when he was alive and beared witness to his death on Columus. I've fiercely hated the Jedi ever since as your Grand Inquisitor can attest," she replied with a nod.

"Indeed Torbin made mention that you had called him and his subordinates Jedi in his final report to me. A mistake that was very easily remedied despite the extremity required, I trust?" the Emperor asked curiously. Arden nodded and told him that Torbin had said that the Emperor would make her an offer that would have her at least considering an alliance with him. "Yes, he does not deceive you on that matter for I do have an offer you may like," the Emperor confessed.

"Then let's hear it, if it doesn't even have me considering an alliance then I shall wish for transportation to the nearest spaceport planet," Arden demanded. Palpatine chuckled, admiring her fiery passion and knowing that it would take a little more to break her into servitude than he had thought. If he wasn't careful, he could lose his chance to form the Emperor's Hand organization through her. However, he was at no loss for words as he informed her of the offer that he was willing to make for her.

"Become my 'Emperor's Hand' and I shall conjure Xendor from the netherworld of Chaos. Imagine what it would be like for you to have the man you love holding you in his embrace once more," he said. "No one can resurrect the dead, thank you for your time but you've wasted mine," she said immediately and turned to walk away. "I can and I have done it before, Arden Lyn; I can be most generous to my allies if I wish," he countered.

Arden stopped in her tracks, clenching her fists as she thought over the implications of his offer and what he said he could do. _Good, I have broken through her defense and called out to the hopeless romantic in her_ he thought with a smirk. He heard her heave a heavy sigh and it was obvious that her attachment to Xendor was greater than she had already revealed. Vader looked like he wanted to say something to her as he extended his hand out towards in that matter but stopped himself short.

"Give me some time to think about it, your majesty. Where is your training room for fighters like myself?" she said at last. Palpatine knew she would need to blow off steam as she thought about this offer and stated that his guards would escort her there. Then she excused herself to which he replied by bidding her a good day of thought before returning his attention to tightening his grip on his holdings.

He knew he had called upon the lover within her and it would only be a matter of time before she accepted his generous proposal. True that he did not intend to go through with the offer nor could he if he had wanted to but still, it was a fun trick to play on an innocent mind like hers. _Innocent but still very dangerous as is the mark of one who was once insane with anger and hate_ he thought. He would tread carefully, that much was for sure but he couldn't help but get excited about having fun with her feelings for a long-dead warrior of the Dark Side to the point of a visible smile.

**Returning from the Outer Rim,** leaving Thrawn to his data-related expansions into the Unknown Regions, Demetrius Zaarin missed the sessions he would have in the Emperor's sparring chambers. In fact, arranging a time for one was one of the first things he did when he returned to Imperial Center. Smiling, he was glad that the speed and efficiency with which a session was reserved was still present after a long time away near the Unknown Regions. However, after changing into attire more suiting of exercise and grabbing a towel for his sweat, he was surprised to see a woman already there.

Judging by the strength and power with which she hit the punching bag before her, she was angry about something or at least, conflicted. A further look indicated the precision of martial arts in each of her punches onto the bag and he admired her form. There were few curves on her body which indicated she was more of the active type than most of the women that he had met, the only curve being her waist. But even that was relatively minimal though he admitted he found her shoulder-length, flowing black hair to be the most charming thing about her.

And just when he had finished assessing her from behind, she turned so he could assess her from the front. If he had thought that her long flowing hair was the most charming thing about her, then her golden eyes were like jewels created by the gods. "Indeed, you are an angelic source of inspiration for any young man looking for a night of nudity with a beautiful woman," he said. "And you are?" the woman asked him.

"My name is Demetrius Zaarin though you may call me 'Admiral' or 'Zaarin', I'm a Grand Admiral of the Imperial Fleet. What might your name be, your ladyship?" he replied. "Arden Lyn, but you can call me Arden," she said as she extended her hand to him. He took it with one of his own and stated that it was a pleasure for him to meet her, asking if she was new to conclude it.

"Just arrived today," she admitted. "Always a burst of excitement upon first arriving to this place, is it not?" he asked. "I guess that depends on your perception of first time arrivals," she answered. Though he didn't understand, he shrugged to move on to the next matter for she looked like a woman that didn't want to explain herself to someone she hardly knew.

Besides that, she needed to clean up the punching bag that she had knocked down in a series of methodical, powerful punches before his arrival. "You aren't by any chance a Master of any martial arts, are you?" he asked after silence for several moments. "Terras Kasi, it was one of the first things I learned as a child," she answered with a nod beforehand. "You bear the decisive mark of a champion of Terras Kasi... has the Emperor requested that you train future disciples of his in it?" he inquired.

"Not yet but I have the feeling it will be one of the terms he lays down for me should I accept his offer," Arden said as she repaired the bag and hooked it back up on its ceiling mount. "One thing's for sure, you're already used to that big mechanical arm of yours unless you've had it awhile," he stated. "I've only had it today, I've always been able to adapt quickly under any circumstances thrown at me," she replied. "Very quick considering such a short amount of time but do tell me, were you another rogue Force-sensitive before this or a fallen Jedi?" he asked.

He was eager to know this mysterious woman calling herself Arden Lyn much better. After all, he began to get the feeling as though his destiny would somehow be intertwined with hers. "Fallen Jedi with a longer history than any fallen Jedi here," she answered. _Really, is this just a boast or is this true?_ he asked himself silently.

As it was, the name Arden Lyn sounded familiar to him like something he had read during his studies of Republic history. He would have to go back into the texts he read to find out how it struck out to him as familiar and why. Watching as she returned to punching the punching bag repeatedly, he felt an aura of confidence born out of despair and sadness about her, sadness thick as the stench of her sweat. What had happened to her to antagonize her so much and was it the fault of the Jedi as she had indicated in her answer to his question of whether or not she was a fallen Jedi?

"You know, you're not at your full beauty when you're angry or sweaty," he said rather suddenly. This stopped her in her tracks and slowly, she turned around to face him, her gaze sending shivers down his spine and almost making him wish it had turned him to stone. "I could replace the punching bag with you if you don't watch how you speak to me. And I could make your pain last as long as I wish should I choose to subjugate you to that kind of torment," she warned.

"But you wouldn't subject me to it when I am currently of superior rank to you, now would you?" he asked calmly. Inside, he was about ready to wet himself and scream like a five-year-old girl at the intimidating tone that her voice took. "No but I have the feeling I will be the superior one if I take Palpatine's offer," she replied. Then she turned her attention back to the punching bag and exercising her anger out on it though not before telling the Grand Admiral that she wished to be alone now.

"I shall comply with that wish but not before I say one thing. Be careful what you do should you choose to accept the Emperor's offer for in the end, you are expendable to him. True that you might be unique and you might have his interest for his time but you are not the only rogue Force-sensitive here. There _are_ others who will interest him almost as greatly if not surpassing you in his favor," he warned.

"If you're so sure of that, why do you still serve him?" she asked as she kept punching the bag. "Perhaps because I need a boost of inspiration, somebody who can show me that I don't need to fear being outside his shadow," he admitted. _Why am I admitting this to her?_ he asked himself quietly. "So the galaxy now operates mostly on fear and mistrust... pathetic," she hissed disgustedly.

The increased intensity of her precise, powerful punches indicated that she didn't want to talk anymore and he wisely complied. He decided it was best not to have a session for himself the rest of that day and instead, to postpone it until the following day. The last thing he needed to do was aggravate this woman further and becoming her new punching bag. Even when he was several meters away with the door to the chambers closed, he could still hear the smack of her fists against the inanimate object.

**On his way back to his** chambers, Vader passed by a hurried Admiral Zaarin and he sensed that the coward had met Arden Lyn already. _She does leave an impression on weak minds like his. He might be a brilliant and innovative engineer but he is still a timid nitwit when it comes to socializing with anyone_ Vader thought with a smile inside his helmet. He decided to see what she was doing and it wasn't hard to find her even if he hadn't been following her presence in the Force.

After a little while, he began to hear the smacks of her fists collided with a punching bag in the sparring chambers. Following the sound to the source, he chuckled to see that she was so intent on destroying the bag that she didn't notice him coming in. When she finally did, by splitting it in half down the middle with her mechanical arm, she turned slowly to face him. "Is it me or do men really seem to idolize this widow today?" she asked.

"Just you, I came to see what your decision was on the Emperor's offer is," he answered. "And why would the Emperor's apprentice be concerned with a lowly servant like me?" she inquired. "You would not be lowly, actually you would answer only to me and the Emperor in authority. Nonetheless, I am concerned with you because you are indeed a most fascinating work of art," he explained.

"I think my portrait of Xendor in one of his final victories during the Schism is more the artwork than I am," she stated. "You underestimate and berate yourself far more than you need to. So what is your answer to the offer that my Master has proposed for you?" he asked. Arden Lyn went silent at that point and had to think real carefully about the implications of the offer if she took it.

She could have Xendor back if he really could resurrect the dead from Chaos itself. Or she could be destroyed like most of the wouldbe servants of Lord Sidious. Like he almost did fourteen and a half years ago on Mustafar, thanks to his former Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. He hated the man to death and would find him before the end of his life, enjoying his vengeance as he struck the man down.

But his vengeance was not the subject of his discussion with Arden Lyn much as he might have desired it to be. "Lord Vader... does he really have the power of resurrection?" she asked at last. Vader paused, thinking about how to answer that as he knew that whatever he said could deter her or ensnare her. However, he immediately conjured the right words and the right tone to state them in.

"He wasn't true in having done it before but that doesn't mean that he can't do it. If he puts his power and commit to something, it can be done," he said. It was an elaborate lie that he hoped she wouldn't see through but her reply relieved him of that fear. "Then you have yourself another warrior," she said with a smile.


	22. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

"Congratulations Arden Lyn, you have become the Emperor's Hand. You shall have command over all matters pertaining to the martial arts style known as Terras Kasi, formed by the Palawa priests. Yours is authority over all the Empire so long as it benefits your charges, only Lord Vader and the Emperor will be greater," Palpatine declared in the ceremony honoring Arden Lyn's initiation. "From this day forth, Arden Lyn is no longer a strapling rogue Force-sensitive," Vader began.

_I am no strapling, I'm probably powerful enough to beat you and your Emperor together_ Arden thought but didn't say. "She is now a weapon of the Galactic Empire and what she does from here on, she does to ensure security and continuing stability in our society. May the Force bless her with the strength to conquer all who would challenge the might of the Empire for all her days," Vader added. And with that, he concluded the ceremony by shouting "Hail Arden Lyn!" and instructing everyone else to do the same at the rise of his lightsaber into the air.

Three times, Arden heard the cry ring in the crowd and for some strange reason, it warmed her heart to see all this passion put into the ceremony. Not since her wedding to Xendor had she seen such warmth from so many people not of relations to her at all. Then the Emperor rose his hand to the crowd for silence, his announcement of her first mission on behalf of the Empire imminent now. "As my first order to the Emperor's Hand..." he began.

The audience was dead silent all around Arden, the only sound coming from Lord Vader's inhalation and exhalation through his mask. "She must journey to Dromund Kaas and obtain a holocron belonging to the ancient Sith Lord, Darth Vitiate at the ruins of his palace. Arden Lyn, my Emperor's Hand, must never return until she has succeeded in this mission with her only other option being death. Whether by my Lightning or by the traps that lie in wait for those that would steal the holocron, victory is her only way back to me," he continued, ending on that note.

"Thank you my liege, I will not fail you," Arden stated as she rose from her kneel and bowed to him formally. "Go, my Emperor's Hand, to victory or death. Lord Vader shall give you all the details you will need for your mission," he replied, ending the ceremony at that. Nodding, she turned and walked down the stairs of the throne with Lord Vader soon tagging on her heels to hand her something.

"Speak to me, go over the instructions with me verbally," Arden requested. "This datapad goes over the instructions much more thoroughly than I can. It also gives you a picture of what a holocron looks like so you know what to look for, particularly what a Sith holocron looks like I might add. May the Force be with you on this mission, Arden Lyn the Emperor's Hand," he replied immediately.

Arden took the datapad from him and went over the details, meticulously and methodically reading every last letter. By the end of her read, she had more than memorized the details that she needed to know: she was looking for a red, glowing pyramid structure ebbing with the Dark Side. Additionally, there were several hundred miles of tunnels and corridors which all contained booby traps and perils that none had survived to date. She would need to be careful where she placed her feet during the first third of the chamber, then be very quick in the next third.

The last was supposed to be something that she was fairly familiar with: illusions of the mind as well as lightsaber dueling with ancient ghosts. _That last part shouldn't be too big of a hassle, maybe its lack of difficulty is incentive for overcoming the difficulties at the beginning_ she thought. It was a thought that brought a smile to her face and admittedly, she found this mission an exciting first one. But then, she could swear she had the funniest feeling like another voice was intruding into her head to talk.

When she let it, she recognized this voice to belong to her old apprentice Depa Billaba who had died helping Arden escaping the Yuuzhan Vong. _Do not underestimate the horrors that lie in wait for those who journey to the homeland of the Prophets of the Dark Side. There, nothing lives except for what does so by the graces of the bearers of the power_ Depa warned. _Prophets... shouldn't be too bad, most prophets are cowards that speak in riddles anyhow_ Arden replied.

_These prophets can foresee the future through an utter reliance on the Force to pierce through the veil cast over most when it comes to the future. Be wary of venturing anywhere near where they live on Dromund Kaas_ Depa reiterated. _I'll be wary, my apprentice just please remain out of my head whenever I'm fighting please_ Arden said calmly. _No worries about that Mistress, just remember to keep on your toes no matter what_ Depa said, concluding her warning at that.

The shuttle that would take Arden to Dromund Kaas was waiting and ready when she arrived, something she liked seeing. "Strap in for the ride, milady. Coordinates are locked, prepare for lightspeed," said the male pilot. She could only see his arms and hear his voice but that was all she needed to know that she would be soon traveling to yet another world in the list she was gathering.

**"Is it really wise** to send her to Dromund Kaas, so soon? The last time we did anything like that, we were lucky to have Supreme Prophet Kadann drop by to save his life. Even then, he never survived the attempts to medically restore him more than about fourteen standard hours," Vader asked. "Unlike that pathetic initiate whose name I haven't bothered to recall, Arden has experience," Palpatine replied.

"Experience fighting Jedi, not experience fighting fellow Dark Side bearers. Her fight with the Inquisitors is living proof of that," Vader added. "She was caught off-guard, anyone with her kind of power would never allow it if they were on their full game," Palpatine snapped. "My point is that it might not be wise to put too much faith in her abilities, even if she is a living powerhouse in the Force," Vader warned.

"When she returns with the holocron, I trust you will not raise this issue up to me in the future?" Palpatine asked, cutting to the point immediately. Vader nodded, knowing that he could argue no more on the point of Arden's power when Palpatine's confidence was heavily placed upon it. _He says all this like he has already foreseen the outcome and isn't telling m_e Vader thought but didn't say. "Will that be all, Lord Vader?" Palpatine asked after a moment's pause.

"Yes Master, there is nothing else for the time being," the Sith Lord answered. "Then you're dismissed for now," the Emperor replied. Vader bowed and left the Throne Room, allowing the older man to sink into his thoughts. It was the least he could do considering his Master's absolute confidence in Arden's capabilities as a warrior.

Despite the reports about the Irkalla mission disputing her capabilities, Palpatine believed that her potential meant that she was more than qualified to go to Dromund Kaas. _He's never been this ecstatic about a Force bearer since he met me, twenty-six and a half years ago_ he observed. Could she be the herald of doom for Lord Vader, could this woman mark the end of all he schemed to do before he could even do it? If so, it most certainly explained why the Emperor was so hopeful that she succeeded in her mission.

After all, Sidious had made it clear at the beginning of the Empire that he had been disappointed in what Vader had become. "All your power and you let Kenobi get away with what he has done to you," he had exclaimed. The exclamation itself had been more out of frustration than anything else but the hatred that the old man felt even then was still visible in his tone and on his face. Now, he had an opportunity for a fresher replacement if he wished to take it, one younger and more powerful.

Just as he had been when he had destroyed Lord Tyranus near the end of the Clone Wars... The time to strike against the Emperor and take his throne was coming up faster than he thought it was if this was the case. _That sneaky little snake would have his way if I had not caught on soon enough but not to worry, my secret weapon is almost ready_ Vader thought with a smile. Opening a door with the Force, Vader gazed upon that secret weapon: an apprentice that he had been training for years now.

"Are you ready for your next mission, Starkiller?" Vader asked. "What is thy bidding, my Master?" Starkiller replied after nodding. "Go to Dromund Kaas, request the permission from the Prophets of the Dark Side to spy on a woman called Arden Lyn. Follow her as best you can and if she succeeds in what she heads to accomplish there, report back to me immediately," Vader ordered.

"Does she seek something of value? If so, let me take it from her!" Starkiller suggested. "No, unless she fails she would be too powerful for you. Just follow her and report back to me if she succeeds or if she fails in her missions," Vader insisted.

"As you wish, my Master," Starkiller replied with a bow. Then Vader left him to pack up for his trip to Dromund Kaas, the _Rogue Shadow_ standing ready as ever to escort him. But before letting him leave, Vader reminded Starkiller a final time that he was not to engage Arden or steal her valuable. "Under _any_ circumstances, even self-defense," he added imperialistically; the boy replied with a nod.

**"Arden Lyn, no doubt.** It is a high honor to have someone like you join us for your stay on Dromund Kaas," Supreme Prophet Kadann announced as Arden arrived. Stopping for a moment or so, Arden read the little man before her, trying to see what was going on in the wheels of his mind. But when she found nothing of interest to her, she decided it was best to return his greeting for now. "Dispense with the formalities, we both know I am only here for a brief time until I succeed in my mission," she said.

"And I assure you that we have adjusted to accommodate you for the duration of your stay. As I have said before, it is a true honor to have a servant of Emperor Palpatine here," he replied. "You rarely get visitors, do you?" she asked. "How did you guess?" he inquired, semi-confessing.

"It doesn't take reading through the Force to know that you value visitors so much that you wish to accommodate them when they arrive. Especially if they happen to serve someone who is more powerful in the Dark Side than yourself, am I right?" she explained. Kadann paused in his thoughts and it seemed as though she had angered him with what she had said but his response said otherwise. "We pay our respects to Lord Sidious, yes, and in return he leaves us be for as long as we wish," he stated.

"And I trust that it has worked fairly for the both of you?" she asked. Kadann nodded and told her that High Prophet Jedgar would show her to her quarters. "Thank you Supreme Prophet, your hospitality has been most appreciated thus far," she replied. "Anything for the servant of the Emperor," he said with a smile before leaving her to unpack and settle down.

But as she did so, she sensed an unfamiliar presence not of the spirit world or even amongst the prophets. This one had a tinge of youth to it that she had not seen since she had met Xendor for the first time._Who in the universe could this be with Xendor long dead and this presence being from a younger being?_ she asked herself silently. The sad thing was, she knew she would have to wait until morning to find out who it was if she was destined to find out at all.

**Starkiller had left for** Dromund Kaas not too long after receiving a report that Arden had already left. As such, he arrived about a standard hour or so after she did and was amazed that he was not immediately ratted out by one of the prophets. In fact, it was so quiet that he immediately began to keep a vigilance in case he was walking into a trap of any sort. _Maybe they'll use the Force to conjure up some sort of ancient Sith weapon that will skin me alive or something_ he thought.

He had heard the legends about the prophets and was very much interested to know what kind of life that they lived. "Where are you going, so late at night?" a female voice called out to him. Turning in the direction of the voice, he almost managed to get his lightsaber but it was taken out of his hand. "There's no need for such crude weapons to be drawn here, it's all safe in this temple," the woman told him as she grabbed the levitated saber.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Starkiller asked. "My name's Merili, I'm one of the Prophets," the woman answered. _Merili, I've heard some crazy things surrounding that name_ he thought but didn't say. "So what's your name, sexy man?" she asked when he said nothing aloud.

The way her hand went up and down his chest indicated that she was not going to threaten him with his own lightsaber, not yet anyways. "Starkiller, apprentice to Lord Vader, ma'am," he said. There was no sense denying his allegiance especially if what was said about her reading minds was true. "I thought there could be only two Sith: a Master and an apprentice," she replied.

"I'm more the servant than an apprentice, anyway. An acolyte of the Dark Side, if you will," he admitted. "In that case, maybe I could... accommodate you while you stay here," she suggested. Her hand rubbed along his chin in a very flirtatious manner and since she looked in her teens, he didn't panic.

At best, she was about two years older or younger than him anyway and would seem really natural if it weren't so instant. "Why do you take to liking me when you barely even know more than my name?" he asked, these doubts too strong to go unnoticed. "The Prophets are no fun, they're all about committing themselves to the Dark Side and visions," she said in a manner that mocked them. _It's a wonder that she hasn't been kicked out for saying this but still I wonder..._ he thought silently.

"Sounds like you get pretty lonely," he said to be polite. "Oh yes and the guy I like never pays attention. Oh well, I guess I'll have to settle for you," she said melodramatically. Then she yanked him by his arms and pulled him to her chambers... it was one hell of a night for Starkiller.

**Despite the noises of** a teenage woman screaming and a teenage boy groaning in what sounded like ecstasy, Arden was able to get a proper couple of hours of meditation. In the morning, she consulted Kadann with a demand to know what was up about the girl at night. "That's our overly insane Prophetess named Merili. The rest of us stay away from her but some strapless young lad must have bumped into her and had her ride up and down his shaft much to his chagrin later," Kadann answered.

"And you let her get away with this?" Arden asked. "Like I told you, she's very overly insane. The more freedom you give someone with a mind like hers, the more they think they're your master. However, it also allows them the ignorance to not realize that it is you who are their master, not vice versa," Kadann answered proudly.

"Doesn't a person like her eventually bite the hand that feeds them?" she inquired. "We have already taken precautions so that it does not happen or happens on such a level that it's irrelevant. After all, with any person or organization, we look into their future but we do it meticulously. As there are many possible futures, we merely choose the one most likely to occur and announce that vision.

"The Emperor knows that's how we operate and he knows that the future will reach a point where the outcome we choose is one that does not work in his favor. He has the ability to see the future to the extent that we can but he chooses the course most agreeable to his design," he explained. "Very biased judgment that could end up stabbing him in the back someday," she observed aloud. "Indeed and despite having nothing to confirm it yet, we believe that time is fast approaching," he admitted.

"You do, you mean?" she asked. She guessed it in his posture that his recent announcement was a development as old as the conversation. "The others will have seen what I have seen before the end of this conversation and will follow suit in my beliefs, even Merili. There would be no point in announcing it except to come to an agreement about what can be done to prepare," he answered.

"And the reason that you are relating this all to me is?" she requested, a question that caught him off guard but only slightly so._ Even with my ability to calculate the most likely path of the future, her ability to calculate elements of the present is remarkable_ he thought. "Because the future tells me that the most likely path of our fates dictates that we will only meet once again. Even so, I am cautious not to trust one path entirely or else face disappointment," he said aloud.

"One meets their future on the path they take to avoid it. Perhaps, I should try that and see if it proves you right in your guess," she suggested. "There is no need for that, you will meet whatever future lies in wait for you no matter what you do," he replied with a chuckle. He admired her opinions on the future and wondered where her wisdom came from, what inspired it in her.

_If only he knew where I've formed my opinions from_ Arden thought silently. "So where is the Temple?" she asked aloud. "Not more than three kilometers away from here, a distance easily covered by landspeeder. I have already arranged one to take you there whenever you're ready to set out," he answered. "In that case, I better not keep the driver waiting on me," she stated.

"Eager to get the mission underway, I like that in a lassie such as yourself," he replied, stroking his beard in ponderance. "Don't press your luck, Prophet. The men who like me (let alone love me) tend to die on me before I really have a chance to know them for too long," she warned. _She looks like a woman with such an unfortunate streak of luck in her life_ he admitted silently.

"May the Force be with you in your mission, Arden Lyn. You have great potential to become a powerful warrior as well as a wise one," he said aloud. By this time, they were approaching the speeder and Arden was impatient to get going. However, she stopped and turned back to him with a look that said she still had a question or two.

"What's the most likely outcome for my mission to the temple?" she asked teasingly. Chuckling, he had to admit that for her hard exterior and her wisdom, she could act like a normal woman. She was the right balance of warrior, Force user, utterer of naught but wise words, and normal human woman. In the wrong hands, such a combination would be unstoppably dangerous but in the right ones?

If ever, the combination of personality traits that Arden presented were to fall into the right hands then it would mean peace to the galaxy and maybe even to her. As he watched her leave, the screams of Merili came alive again and were more ecstatic than before, apparently she was having fun. "Jedgar, go fetch the boy that entertains Merili so rigorously and make sure you get him talking before you decide to lop off his manhood, not the other way around," he ordered at last, annoyed by the noise. "Yes Master," High Prophet Jedgar replied as he grabbed his lightsaber and head for her room.

**"Oh Starkiller, you are** so fine," Merili exclaimed, her naked form rubbing up against Starkiller's. "I have barely even done anything, milady," he replied. It was then, as if saying that sparked a revelation, he remembered his mission and went to a flurry of activity. "I've been here too long," he said aloud.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "I was sent here on a mission to observe Arden Lyn's mission on Lord Vader's behalf. By now, her speeder's already taken off and made its way to the damned temple!" he answered. "You're right about that but that doesn't explain what you're doing naked here," another man intruded.

_Oh hell, I think I'm in trouble now_ Starkiller thought as he finished searching for his lightsaber. "Why High Prophet Jedgar, what a pleasant surprise!" Merili shouted playfully. "Enough, who are you, young man!?" Jedgar demanded. Starkiller knew there was only one thing he could do right now.


	23. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

For a while after sending Arden Lyn on her mission, the Emperor had a slight suspicion that Lord Vader would send somebody to spy on her. His lack of faith in her abilities all but encouraged that line of thought in his Master whether he knew it or not. But when Kadann reported that a young boy who had confessed himself to be Lord Vader's apprentice, that thought was confirmed. "Lord Vader, why do you send a boy to spy on Arden Lyn during her mission?" Palpatine demanded immediately.

"Who dares accuse me of such a crime?" Vader replied. At that point, the Emperor showed his apprentice the hologram where Jedgar brought forth Starkiller and the boy confessed his allegiance. "We'll allow him to go this once on condition that he never again follow your servant or sleep with our Prophetess Merili. He has already agreed to stay away on those terms and we await your approval of those terms, Lord Vader," Jedgar said in the recording.

"I told him he could have his message recorded and I would deliver it to you. Now it is up to you how you reply to him, choose wisely. They could destroy your apprentice and possibly you without a second thought if you are unwise in your response," Palpatine warned before leaving Vader to think. That should teach him not to question my judgement in my future decrees Palpatine thought with a sadistic smile.

His faith in Arden Lyn had led to the revelation of an unfaithful Vader sending a spy, possibly to distract her only to fall into his own hormonal temptations._ If Vader's going to send someone to spy on Arden, it should be somebody who could actually resist Merili's temptations. Like perhaps, Inquisitor Tremayne_ Palpatine thought, recalling Tremayne's hatred of Arden. Naturally, who could blame him after all, she had killed his friend and forced him to replace one of his lungs and both his legs.

However, due to the constant need of the Inquisitors to look for lost Jedi to either kill or lure to the Dark Side, neither he nor Torbin were available for that. Instead, Palpatine would have to trust that Lord Vader would not send out another one of his servants to spy on Arden Lyn. However, quite frankly, he had the feeling that Vader would not be able to do it in time even if he wanted to. Victory was Palpatine's as far as spies observing Arden's activity was concerned and he was proud of that.

**Starkiller was glad that** Jedgar and Kadann had chosen to spare him severe punishment and return him to Vader. However, he was not looking forward to what his Master had to say or do about his failure to keep an eye on Arden Lyn. After all, he had been seduced to the chambers of a member of the Prophets and was going to pay the consequences for sleeping with her. Arriving to Lord Vader's chambers with the erect posture of a responsible young man, Vader's disappointment was obvious.

"What happened to keeping an eye on Arden Lyn?" the Dark Lord asked. "I arrived and immediately went looking for her. But Merili came and before long, I was pulled to her chambers and forced to make love to her," Starkiller answered immediately. Vader said nothing, his breathing was all that could be heard as he thought about how he could respond to that reply.

Then Vader extended his hand out in a manner that Starkiller was all too familiar with: Force Choke. "You have failed me in a manner that cannot be forgiven but perhaps there is a chance at redemption," he said after a while of strangling Starkiller. "What way is that, Master?" Starkiller asked when he could recover his breath at last. "You'll find out soon enough but for now, you are dismissed," Vader answered, disappointed completely in his apprentice's affront to him.

Starkiller rubbed his neck and bowed to show his submissiveness to Lord Vader before turning around and heading back to his chambers. But along the way, he kept his head down in shame knowing full well that he had let his Master down in a way that might not be fixed. For how could he possibly mend the fact that he was no longer a virgin adolescent boy and satisfy his Master's design once again? If there was a way to make it up to Lord Vader, he would take it but for now, he chose to remain in meditation for the rest of the day... it served him better than anything the day had presented him so far.

**At first, nothing but darkness** surrounded Arden Lyn after she entered the Temple dedicated to a Sith Lord named Darth Vitiate. She wondered if the Dark Side was called it because those who came after her and used it also favored darkness like this. Reaching out with the Force she sensed a shaft that she could use like a torch and used the side of one of her lightsabers to spark the fire. After that, she tossed the weapon aside to begin making her way down and down into the bowels of the pyramid.

At first, she was wondering if the sources were wrong about there being traps that killed the previous spies. In fact, she began to wonder if they had fled in cowardice after delivering a false report of their deaths though an act such as that would be difficult to pull off. Plus there was the fact that according to Palpatine, such reports can be traced for signs of forgery and called on it. But what confirmed that they weren't kidding were the skeletons she was seeing at the beginning of an entrance.

Because its trap wasn't that it was a labyrinth, she guessed that there were devices set to kill along certain sections of the path. _Of course it is, you nitwit! You were told that before you left for this mission_ she thought to herself. She had arrived at the beginning of a passage that was most definitely filled with skeletons from what she could sense.

However, she had no way of knowing what caused their deaths aside from the blades stuck in the chest of many of them. That had her wondering how the blades worked and how it was possible for them to have done this to these soldiers of the Empire and of other Sith in times past. But such things encouraged ingenuity as she decided to throw her torch across the passage and see what caused it. As she watched the little beacon of light fly right by, she watched as several harpoons ejected their heads.

They missed the torch with only one even scratching the wood and Arden knew that she might not be so lucky if she wasn't careful about it. Using the Force, she tracked the movement of the gears and wirings in the traps thus pinpointing where she needed to apply her Force power if she could. But the inner workings of these traps were too strong for her to break with her telekinesis abilities. So she determined that the best thing to do was use bursts of Force Speed when she knew they would spring.

Readying herself by taking several breaths in the direction of exercise, Arden began with a slow jug and then built up speed as she applied Force power to her movement. The traps themselves just barely missed her even when she applied Force Speed, nicking her clothes a little in the process. Beyond that, she had no problem getting through that and she managed to rescue the torch before it went out. Once she passed that, she remained unopposed for quite a ways until she came upon more skeletons though not as many as she had seen before.

Granted, there was only a small difference but it was noticeable to the ancient warrior nonetheless. She suspected that the traps would come differently this time around and as such, threw the torch across the hallway in a different fashion. Instead of throwing it straight as she did before, she threw it from the side to see if there was any difference in the angles. The result was that the harpoons shot from beneath the ground instead of behind the walls and she knew how to best dodge this trap.

She would jump across the sides of the walls rather than run across the floor as she had done before. Aiming her course carefully, she picked only points in the wall that would allow her room for bouncing off to the next point in her path. Running in the same manner that she had done before, she lunged out with her feet ahead and landed hard on the first pillar in her planned course. Then she accumulated enough Force energy whilst remaining suspended there to little spring off in seconds.

The harpoon heads erupted forth from the ground in an attempt to intercept her movement but she was too quick for even her clothes to be nicked as they had been before. _Hopefully that's the last of those that I will have to see for at least a little while if I have to see it again_ she thought silently. Then she continued following the path of the spiraling stairs and the winding passages as they led her ever down to the heart of the Temple where the holocron lied. But suddenly, a spurt of fire burst from nowhere and nearly singed her skin and clothes, the closest it came to her life being taken.

It didn't matter in the long run though as she continued to run down the hall, dodging flame spurts whenever they came up though she eventually found a way to undo it. By the time she did though, she was already more than halfway down to the heart of the temple where the holocron was sure to be. The rest of that hallway and the next sections were of no consequence to her as they had no challenges so she guessed that she had survived all three of them though she couldn't be sure. In fact, she wondered if the blades were all part of one test and the flame spurts were part of yet another one.

_Then she arrived at the chamber that held the holocron within and she began to wonder if she had been right in her first suspicion. It isn't too late, control your rage and let go of your vengeance_ she heard a voice say that she could've sworn sounded familiar. All too late, she recognized the voice as belonging to her father and when she tried to reach out to him, she was electrocuted by Force Lightning. "Not in millennia has one come this far to die in my temple but now another soul shall scream my name before it's destroyed!" exclaimed the source.

Arden turned around to see that the source belonged to a human man that seemed shriveled as though he had relied too much on the Dark Side power to live a long life. "Now you shall tremble in the name of Kashi Mer!" the soul added. _The spirit of the Talisman, probably an illusion meant to fool me_ Arden thought to herself. "This is just an illusion and you are dead!" she shouted aloud.

"On the contrary Arden Lyn, I was revived by the powers of the holocron you seek and turned against you. And thank the Force for my luck in that matter too, I have grown so strong from those Yuuzhan Vong souls that I might have broken out of the Talisman were it not for your meddling," the spirit replied. "You are not the real Talisman spirit and you are just an illusion of a long-dead warlord whose time had long past," she mocked. The phantom flickered a little, Arden's words weakening it to such a point where it began to become irrational.

"I will destroy you Arden Lyn and then I will take over your body and use it to exact my revenge against the galaxy!" Kashi Mer vowed. "Maybe next time," Arden retorted before throwing him into a portal growing behind him with the Force. "An impressive display against such a weak-minded fool," another familiar voice said to Arden. Shivering, she turned around to face the source of the voice only to see that it was Xendor.

"Xendor? How... how can this be?" she asked. "The Force offers many possibilities and I have exploited one of them," he answered. "But... you were..." she began. "No longer, I'm alive because of you Arden and you are the love of my existence," he interrupted.

Arden deactivated their lightsabers and tried to touch Xendor though this was apparently another illusion which gave way to reveal the shade of the man who had created the holocron. "You are but a blind insect contemplating all that you have lost before without knowing what you could gain. My return has been inevitable from the day I perished to now. You shall be the hostess of my return and all that is good shall be gone forever!" Vitiate vowed.

"Never!" Arden screamed as she ignited her lightsabers once more and attacked the Sith Lord. He easily countered her with a lightsaber of his own, the red blade glowing with a dark, bloodthirsty passion that stained its light an even darker red than normal. "A Jedi? No, your aura is too dark and ancient for that," Vitiate asked.

"I am Arden Lyn, fallen leader of the Legions of Lettow in the First Great Jedi Schism and lover to Xendor. You, my friend, are just another asshole aspiring to inherit the legacy that we ourselves could barely have comprehended when we began studying the ways of ancient Bogan," she answered. The spirit acted as though she had gravely offended him but it was all the distraction she needed to attack. At first, it could do nothing against her punishing barrage of Jar'Kai and it looked as though she was going to push it into the portal as well.

However, Vitiate saved himself by creating a phantom of Xendor that made Arden hesitate at the moment of truth. The result was that she was Force-pushed away from the spirit that then turned back into its original form and continuously switched between that and the form of Xendor. Whenever Vitiate switched into Xendor, Arden found herself unable to do anything except defend herself from harm. _No, what are you doing Arden; this is only an illusion of the man you love, it's not real!_ the voice of Depa Billaba exclaimed.

With that motivation, Arden's resolve renewed with the combined might of Force Valor and Battlemind coursing through her blood. It was Force power that she was glad to use against this Sith Lord who protected his holocron so diligently. _You'll not use illusions against me!_ she mentally screamed as she continued to fight the phantom before her. "You cannot defeat me, not here in my temple where I can draw upon the power of all the years of Dark Side energy gathered here," he warned.

"If you think that then you are a fool, I was the beginning of the Dark Side thanks to my husband's sacrifice. Together, we attempted to study Bogan and hopefully see if it could be revived for good intent with the promise to leave it alone if it couldn't be. If we had not done that, I highly doubt that you would have your power right about now so you should be grateful I did what I did!" she said. "The Force works in favor of those willing to make sacrifice, I would have found the Dark Side even if you had not," Vitiate said before continuing the fight.

Arden couldn't take much more of his nonsense any longer, she began using her more powerful Force abilities from Kinetite to Force Storm. It began to slowly overwhelm the Phantom of the former Emperor of a Sith army that had come very close to toppling the Old Republic. "No, you must die, you cannot be allowed to take the holocron from here!" he exclaimed. "And why can't I take the holocron if I have earned it from you in fair combat?" she inquired.

"The price to be paid from the extraction of the holocron is more dangerous than you know," he explained. "Listen Lord Vitiate, I was placed in a trance for twenty-five thousand years, more than long enough for not even dust to remain of those I love when I awoke. I was forced to hibernate for fifteen years in an escape pod in the Void of the Universe and I meditated in grief for six months. In my time, I have paid a deeper price for my existence than any pathetic holocron is going to extract out of me!

"Stand aside or be struck down Lord Vitiate, it's your choice and still can be made," she replied furiously. "I will not stand idly by while you still my most prized possession!" he vowed with zeal. "So be it," she said grimly. Then she Force-pushed him into a statue and repeated it when he tried to escape before using Force Speed to stand within centimeters of him and grab both shoulders.

She levitated them both up a massive statue that had been dedicated to Vitiate until her feet could be solidly placed on its head before turning around and throwing the Dark Lord down. It was at this point that she concluded the attack by using a spell she had learned from Xendor early on. A spell that allowed her to send a beam of destructive energy into the statue as its conduit, crumbling its inside. She jumped off it just in time to watch as the foundation gave way and the statue smashed Vitiate where he remained in place.

Looking back on what she had done, she was glad that she had not give him an opportunity to transform back into Xendor before she crushed him. But since nothing else seemed to come out and attack her, she walked over to the pedestal that held the holocron and claimed her prize. _At last, my mission is complete and I have proven myself worthy to Emperor Palpatine!_ she thought. It was a victory that she would savor here in the darkness of this temple where at least she was alone, for once.

**Palpatine sensed Arden Lyn's** victory in retrieving the holocron long before he would need any report about it. His faith in her was well-placed as was his faith in most people that he recruited into the ranks of the Empire. "Lord Vader, do you sense what I have sensed?" the Emperor asked tauntingly. "Yes, that Arden Lyn has succeeded in the obtainment of the Darth Vitiate holocron," Vader answered calmly.

Beneath the regal exterior that Vader put up, the Emperor knew that Vader was spiteful of the fact that he had been proven wrong. Yes, the Inquisitors had defeated Arden Lyn in the duel on Irkalla and provided some merit for his arguments against her abilities. However, it ended at that and it wasn't about whether or not she could do it on the basis of her defeat in that duel. "It would seem as though I was right to presume that the Inquisitors had merely caught Arden off guard when they arrived," Palpatine stated.

"You win, she is more powerful than I had given her credit for being. She may yet serve our purposes well as the Emperor's Hand," Vader admitted. "Not the Emperor's Hand, an Emperor's Hand," Palpatine corrected. "I don't understand," Vader said.

"Arden Lyn was just an experiment a plan that I had envisioned for the betterment of servants of the Empire. Now that I know that she can do well, I am intent on adding warriors with a similar caliber into a new line of duty for the Empire and one less likely to be made obsolete than the Inquisitors are. The Emperor's Hand shall be the dubbing for those that are initiated and they will do what your Inquisitors are currently incapable of," the Emperor explained. "An interesting vision Master and what to do with the Inquisitors once this group is underway?" Vader asked.

"They will be of no concern, they can splinter off and form their own organization for all I shall ever care," Palpatine answered. _I fear he may have lost it now_ Vader thought but didn't say. "And Arden?" he inquired. He hoped the Emperor knew what he meant when he asked the question concerning her.

"You fear how she will react to finding out she is not the only one to hold the title of Emperor's Hand?" Palpatine replied. Vader nodded and warned him that she could become aggressive about hearing that. "Who said she needed to know about the others?" Palpatine asked. "You mean to tell her nothing of them... and I suppose this shall help us control her better," Vader guessed.

It was crude but a valid guess considering what the Emperor had already spilled into Vader's ears. "Yes, she is strong in the ways of the Dark Side and has already been refined in many ways beyond my need to mold her. But she still has a relatively innocent mind though whether or not this is because of the time she was born in, I have no desire to know," Palpatine admitted with a nod. "Then what of your bargain to revive her husband Xendor?" Vader persisted.

"What of it?" Palpatine retorted. At first, Vader was at a loss for words, having never expected so blunt a reply from his Master who was always tedious with his words. Then he figured it out: Palpatine had no intention on following through with his end of his bargain to her. "I understand, Master," Vader said at last.

"Is there anything else you need concern me with?" Palpatine asked. "No sir, nothing at all," Vader answered.


	24. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Along the way back to Imperial Center from Dromund Kaas, Arden Lyn had gone into meditation to ponder the consequences of her actions in bringing back the holocron. After all, the spirit of her father had appeared to her for the first time since she had come out of her original hibernation. Something big like that never happened unless her actions were guiding her down a path that would ultimately lead to a doom of sorts she might not avoid easily. That is, if she was meant to avoid it coming to her at all but still there was the matter of the little girl and the man she assumed was her father.

Was that meant to be Arden Lyn's future family, was she meant to find love again and produce a child out of it? If that was the case, why did she still feel attraction to Xendor? Why did she feel the need to have his body united with her own and know that his confidence would get through everything? She wanted to accept the possibility that this might be a sign that she was going to move on with her love life but did she really want to?

Did she really want to give up on what she had with Xendor in favor of falling in love again and restarting her marital life? Too many questions and not enough answers for them, Arden decided it was best to let that matter drop and focus on the reasons that her father's voice might have appeared. It was too real to have been an illusion of the temple of Lord Vitiate, she figured out that much for herself. However, that eliminated several factors as to why he had come along while the remaining ones seemed to make no sense.

After all, he had told her to control her anger and let go of her vengeance. The only vengeance Arden had was against the descendants of the murderers of her husband they themselves were no more. It was also the centerpoint for the only anger she had which was toward the Jedi and anyone who got in the way of her fury towards the children of the Light. So far, Palpatine and his apprentice had not gotten in her way and thus they were not subject to her fury though how long that lasted remained to be seen.

And that was another problem: there was still a spark of doubt in her as to whether or not the Emperor could resurrect her husband. Had he really managed to revive other spirits as ancient as his was? Was he telling the truth when he said he could and had brought back the dead? Or was the extent of his power only about as far as his incredible age allowed it to be?

She had doubted him until he had said that he had resurrected the dead and could do it for her which had sealed their pact. However, she began to wonder if she should consult Vader about the truth of these claims that sounded utterly ridiculous. He looked like he hated the Emperor and if given a chance, he probably wouldn't mind ratting out his Master to save her from total enslavement. Or else, of course, to benefit himself more than to benefit her in the long run like Sith were fond of doing to others.

Was she just a pawn meant to be used in a game that the Sith controlled or was she as free as they had dictated she was? She knew that only time and the will of the Force would reveal the truth of the matter to her. Thus, she decided to be content with that and serve them until further notice though whether or not they'd give her that chance was beyond her. She hoped they did so that her eventual betrayal was more discreet than outright leaving the Empire upon being forced to do so.

The meditation in which she pondered all this took up almost all of the time it took for the lightspeed trip from Dromund Kaas to Imperial Center to be completed. As a result, she wasn't surprised to awaken just in time for the pilot to notify her that they had returned. "Thank you sir, may I ask for your name in case we should be working together in the future?" Arden asked before leaving. "My name is Maarek Stele and I do hope that we should collaborate more though I make no promises on that front," the pilot answered.

"And why not?" she inquired after shaking his hand. She immediately noticed the black hair from the man of her vision but he matched him in no other way. "Let's just say the Emperor and I have a special preference for me being piloting starfighters and chasing off enemies whenever possible. Seldom do I pilot shuttles like this one for missions like yours but the Emperor deemed it a necessary formality to have me escort you to Dromund Kaas," he explained.

_I wonder why but I can only assume that it had something to do with me being new to the ranks of the Empire in rank and in time dedicated_ she thought to herself. "Well it was nice to have you as the pilot and I hope to hear great things about your career in the future," she said aloud. "Thanks though I assure you I am only serving the Emperor as I always have and always will," he replied smiling. "Whether or not you're just doing what you do, you could use a little endorsement sometime," she stated.

He shrugged in yielding to that and let go from shaking her hand after she had given the compliment to him. Then she grabbed her prize from Dromund Kaas and marched off the shuttle to proudly present it to her new Master. He would, after all, have sensed her arrival as well as her success on Dromund Kaas and be expecting her to return with it by now. And sure enough, when she arrived to the Throne Room, his chair rotated so that he faced her while he remained seated.

"I have been expecting you, Arden Lyn," he stated. "I know, Master. Your prize is ready for your taking if you wish," she replied calmly. "Excellent, I had all the faith in the universe that you would succeed in your mission where several of my other servants had failed," he said as he collected it.

When his telekinesis successfully brought the artifact into his hand and Arden had said nothing, he continued with his speeches. "Because of your success, I shall allow you a week of recuperation and vacation depending on which you need more. When that is over, I wish to discuss with you the possibility of training future servants in the martial arts known as Terras Kasi. Someone of your caliber in the style should be allowed to pass it on to future generations, after all," he stated tonelessly.

"And I shall be looking forward to the discussions, Master. Although may I request that I be allowed the ability to handpick the pupils I take in with accordance to their potential in mind?" she asked. "You may have that power, remember: you rule supreme in all matters pertaining to the martial arts style Terras Kasi," he answered. "Thank you milord, with that said I look forward to the candidates you have for me to pick and choose," she said.

"And I look forward to being of service to you in that area as well," he replied. "Will that be all, Master?" she asked. "Unless you have anything to tell me about the mission to Dromund Kaas, yes," he answered._Should I tell him about the visions that I had when I reached the holocron as well as the appearance of my father in my mind?_ she asked herself silently.

Quickly coming to a decision, she decided she wouldn't tell him that and figure it out for herself if she could first. "No sir, I have nothing to discuss with you on the mission just yet," she said aloud. It was far from the whole truth but at the same time, it did serve her purpose to make that statement. "Very well then, you are dismissed for the week, Emperor's Hand," he stated, using her title to salute her success.

"Thank you Master," she said with a bow before leaving. There was much she wanted to do with the vacation time that she had but she determined it was best to rest first before doing anything. After all, she had just returned from her first real challenge in her service to the Empire and would need to work off the stress caused by the wheels turning in her head. _Guess it's time to head back down to the sparring chambers and work out some more_ she thought to herself as she grabbed a towel.

The Emperor examined his new prize from Arden Lyn with the zeal of a child receiving a new toy for his birthday. For the holocron of Lord Vitiate was a prize he had been seeking for decades, even when he was under the apprenticeship of Darth Plagueis and had trained Maul. As if that wasn't bad enough, it was also a prize sought by Lord Plagueis which encouraged Sidious to send Maul after it. However, he had returned barely alive and without the holocron to which Plagueis had experienced some disappointment in the report but not to the extreme of desiring Maul's destruction.

But despite Plagueis moving on to other means by which to obtain the secret to immortality, Sidious had never lost interest in the holocron of Lord Vitiate. After all, Lord Vitiate himself was the only man to have ever perfected immortality that did not come at the price of essence transfer. Anyone with a desire to truly cheat death would certainly have longed for this as did Sidious but... Alas, he had beaten them all to the holocron and it was thanks to Arden Lyn that it was so.

Sidious knew that the holocron had a unique way of being activated as did all other holocrons so the old man did his best to find the way to the information that Vitiate had. _True that activation is never simple but I don't think that it should be this difficult to activate_ he thought to himself. He tried his best to concentrate but it seemed as though Vitiate had made defenses that threw him off. After hours of trying he simply gave up on trying to open the holocron though he sensed that he had won.

Though partly, he had still managed to break through some of the defenses that Vitiate had left in his holocron which would have caused anyone else's heads to explode. "What is the secret, Vitiate? Why do you so diligently defend your creation from my entry into it?" Sidious demanded. Luckily, no one was around to hear his cries but it made no difference if they had.

He began to feel as though his work had been for nothing but he immediately told himself that there was plenty of time to decipher the holocron's code. Besides, he had servants who could do any task he was asked of and more while he could safely obsess on learning Vitiate's secret. It was a power he vowed to use more frequently especially now that Arden Lyn had proven herself a worthy servant. Smiling, he put aside the holocron and reminded himself to ask her to help him pick her Terras Kasi students when her week of rest was over.

**By the time Arden Lyn** began to even break a sweat in her sparring round, she had already broken three punching bags in half with her mechanical arm. Whether or not this was because of her usage of the Variant of Anger, a secret Terras Kasi technique shown her by her aunt, she didn't know. However, she was willing to bet that her usage of the variant was not entirely out of the question nor unlikely to have increased her endurance as that was the variant was all about.

In return for extreme fatigue as well as massive appetites later, the variant offered incredible speed and power as well endurance that saw to the death of all who fought against it. _Perhaps I'll return to Bunduki and use this technique on the monks someday_ she thought with a smile. Aside from her hatred of the Jedi, she longed for vengeance against the Followers of Palawa and their monks. For although the Jedi had defeated her, killed her husband, and placed her in the hibernation that allowed her to remain in suspended animation until fifteen years ago, they betrayed her.

When the Jedi Council needed information about getting around the systems nearest Bunduki that had fallen to the Legions of Lettow, the monks gave it to them. As if that wasn't bad enough, they had asked for a hefty amount of Republic credits in return, quintessentially betraying their principles. _Sure they thought it was an emergency but it was an unjustifiable breach of trust between them and the Legions of Lettow!_ she exclaimed to herself at the memory of their treason. And that was when she destroyed the fourth punching bag the same way she had destroyed the other three.

"You have a strong hand when you fight, miss. Be careful not to aim that at an ally should you attend a mission with teams," a strange female voice said. Arden turned behind her to see a woman that was a little taller than her with shining brown hair and crystal blue eyes with arms crossed at the door. "Who are you?" Arden asked, wasting no time in dealing with this intrusion as she pulled out another bag.

"Shira Brie's the name but you can call me Shira and your name?" the intruder replied. "Arden Lyn though you may call me Arden for short," Arden said as she took Shira's extended hand. "Pleased to meet you Arden and you know, destroy one more of those bags today and the Emperor may have to arrange the bill. That equipment's expensive, you know," Shira warned after shaking Arden's hand.

"Are you the debtor come to collect?" Arden asked as she put aside the bag for later. "No, I'm just the one who gives you the two-week notice," Shira joked. Arden smirked, humored by what Shira had said to her about being a messenger. "What brings you here?" Arden asked after a pause.

"I was originally intent on coming here to work out but I see you're probably going to need help in the cleanup," Shira answered. "You're probably right about that," Arden replied. Then she began using telekinesis to clean up the mess, including the beans that had spilled out. When it had all been disposed of and cleaned up, Arden turned around and said, "but then probably not", with a smile.

"Showoff," Shira retorted. "Not really, just someone who knows what to do with their Force powers. But I sense that you have potential in the Force, yourself," Arden said. "Yeah, me serving as an apprentice of the Emperor; that'll be the day," Shira replied.

"And why not?" Arden inquired. "Let's just say that he thinks I'm a little too soft for that kind of thing," Shira explained. Arden understood at once what Shira meant by that: the Dark Side demanded those who bore it to become killers and while Arden had done some killing, she was not like Palpatine. "Then become my apprentice, learn to use the martial arts style of the Followers of Palawa known as Terras Kasi," Arden offered.

She saw potential in this brown headed woman who looked like she would was in her mid-teens or so, little over less than a decade younger than Arden at most were it not for the hibernation. "I've heard many different things about that style, including that it can make even someone like me a very dangerous person. Do I really have what it takes to master the style and maybe even become the servant Palpatine wants?" Shira said. "I have faith that you can accomplish anything you desire should you put your all into it and never give up even when it seems impossible," Arden replied, nodding.

Shira looked surprised that anyone would say such a thing to her but Arden meant it. This girl did indeed have the build for Terras Kasi and she would need to decide which variant she wanted later. However, now was the time only for seeing if she would take Arden's offer and they could begin their lessons. "Then I guess you have yourself a new apprentice, Arden Lyn: I'm at your service until you feel I have mastered Terras Kasi but on a condition," Shira replied, kneeling as she did so.

"Speak it and I will see if I can grant it," Arden said. "If I master Terras Kasi as you see fit, I want you to put in a good word for me when I go to apply for service to the Emperor. In my previous attempts, he asked if I had anyone working for him that could endorse me to which I had to say no. That was only a small portion as to why I failed to get a job working for him but that's beside the point," Shira explained.

"I will be happy to do that for you, Shira Jade," Arden said enthusiastically. This was something she could grant and she wasn't kidding about that much. "Thank you Mistress Arden, when do we begin training?" Shira begged, her eyes revealing eagerness to begin immediately. "Come back to me in two days, before the sun rises so we can get you warmed up before the heat starts coming down," Arden answered calmly.

_She'll make for a great student in time but she'll have to learn patience before she's finished, that much is for sure. Even the most bloodthirsty killer is smart to bide their time before catching their prey when necessary to do so_ Arden thought to herself silently. "As you wish, Mistress," Shira said disappointedly. "Don't be too upset and don't call me Mistress, last thing I need is any formality I do not deserve," Arden ordered.

Shira bowed and walked off possibly to get some equipment for her own workout to prepare for her training. To Arden, this was the sign of a cunning, skilled warrior and one that was ready for any challenge that was sure to befall her. It was this same trait in her that had impressed her father when they first crossed paths when Arden was only sixteen years old. Now, she saw it someone else and was determined to be her empathetic link where she had had none in the years before Xendor appeared.

One week later...

Having made Shira Jade her first student to the approval of the Emperor and having devoted the rest of her vacation to giving Shira the beginnings of development in her technique, she was ready. Arden was ready for action, any action, as was her new apprentice and the Emperor could not have been more ready to give them an opportunity. "In Tatooine, a pitiful speck of a planet in the middle of space, there is a Tusken Raider named Hoar who is causing trouble in Mos Eisley," he said directly.

"One little man working alone? Shouldn't be a problem for even me, let alone Arden," Shira spoke up. "There's more: the only one who knows when he strikes before he does is a Gamorrean named Thok. Rumor has it that he and Hoar collaborate for profit gain with Thok challenging anyone seeking him to a fight.

"If they lose, they have to pay him for the information and that's just assuming that they're still alive after that. But if they win, he will reveal details plans for free... To think that one of those Tusken Raiders can actually be cunning enough to orchestrate attacks like this is remarkable," he answered. "And why is that?" Arden asked.

"Let's just say Tusken Raiders are not often known to be intelligent nor effective in anything they do without the element of surprise," Shira answered. "Precisely," Palpatine agreed. "Then perhaps we can use_that_ to our advantage when we find him. Anything that can be used to make him sloppy and stupid like the rest of his people is a point for us," Arden suggested.

"Then I presume you wish to go on this mission for me?" Palpatine asked. Arden nodded and Shira did the same before he told them he wanted these two alive if possible. "Do with them as you wish after you present them to me but I want you to prove to me that you have succeeded," he added. "Shouldn't be too difficult, especially if they're working alone," Shira stated.

"Do not be so confident or so eager, my apprentice. Even the greatest of predators can fall victim to ego and be killed by their prey," Arden warned. "Wiser words have never been uttered," Palpatine admitted._Or was it just him saying he agreed to shut me and my pupil up?_ Arden asked herself .

"I will begin immediately with the mission, the sooner we get it underway the sooner we can complete it," she said after a moment's pause. "Of course, I will not hold you back from your destiny any longer," he replied with a smile. Arden and Shira smiled uneasily before marching off to begin their mission. "Do you really think it's our destiny to have our path intertwined with these two beyond our adventure?" Shira asked.

"I truly do not know whether or not it is though I don't see why it couldn't happen. If the will of the Force decrees it then we will meet them again," Arden answered. "But what if the will of the Force dictates that they die? Will we be the one to kill them?" Shira continued.

"I don't know, Shira. I truly don't know," Arden admitted. That ended the conversation immediately and there was nothing more to be said afterwards instead, the mission became the focus.


	25. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

Arriving to Tatooine, Arden Lyn could immediately see why Palpatine had called it a pitiful speck of a planet and why Shira Jade hated the idea of going there. It was a desert planet at all four corners, nothing but sand swirling across the wind and nothing but sand as the ground beneath them. "I've never seen a planet so lifeless," she said immediately. "Oh trust me, it gets better when we get a little deeper into Mos Eisley: you'll never find a greater cauldron of scum anywhere," Shira replied.

"The planet is that harsh on the people here?" Arden asked. "Oh it's not the harshness of the planet, it's a refuge for gangsters, smugglers, pirates, and hired assassins. Bounty hunters often make their way here in case the Hutts decide to hire them for important jobs as well," Shira answered quickly. "Wait, so basically Tatooine is a world where criminals rule supreme without interference from the law?" Arden inquired.

Shira nodded, adding that some of these criminals had been dubbed so even before the rise of the Empire. "Then you'd think their crimes from before the Empire would have been excused with its rise, right?" Arden suggested. "I'm afraid it isn't that simple. Even though the Empire reformed from many of the things that made the Republic the way it was, there were still many things unchanged.

"One of those things were criminal records: in other words, if you were a criminal before, you're one now," Shira explained. "That's a little unfair, don't you think?" Arden asked rhetorically. "The Emperor and Lord Vader don't give a shit about being fair, only about maintaining power. In this new galaxy that they've created, only the strong survive and the weak serve the strong," Shira answered.

Arden thought about the implications of that statement, readily accepting a world like that but not an entire galaxy. All she and Xendor had wanted in their day was for their research to be accepted and used to the benefit of the Jedi Order's growth, not to its detriment as the Council thought. They had wanted to remain members of the Order in a universe of curiosity, learning, and even love. But nothing had prepared them for the greed and corruption of the Council except for Jedi Master Pina.

Though he was the man who would ultimately imprison Arden Lyn in her hibernation, he had initially defended their research with vigor. He had determined that tradition could be made stronger by what Arden and Xendor offered to find out for the Council before his voice was shut off forever. But Arden returned her mind to the present and asked Shira to track down Thok and get him talking. "I will go and examine the attack sites myself and determine which one he's most recently hit," she added.

"Yes Mistress, I shall but if he has potential to be a student do I persuade him to come along?" Shira asked. "If he does and if you can," Arden answered, nodding. "Yes Mistress, he will be defeated by the Variant of the Assassin if he tries to put up any resistance," Shira vowed. "Remember, we need him alive even if he doesn't have the potential," Arden reminded.

Shira nodded and raced off to find someone who knew the way to Thok while Arden requested knowledge of Hoar's favorite attack areas. "It's been impossible to pinpoint a pattern but we were able to find some favorite places that he liked to visit," a stormtrooper colonel told her. "Show me the attack points," Arden requested. "Yes milady, would you like to start with his most recent attack and continue from there?" he asked.

"If that's not out of your way, I would," she answered. The colonel called in a speeder and had one of his subordinates take Arden to the sites and answer any questions she had as best as possible. "All right, the first site we'll be taking you to is a rather big moisture farm that the Empire relies on for its water supplies whenever the Emperor can't have shipments sent out here. Filters are required to safely drink some of it but for the most part, the water's pretty crisp," the sergeant explained along the way.

"I would have thought that there'd be no water on a planet as dry as this," she stated rather calmly. "For the most part, you're right but there are pockets of moisture here and there that we pay farmers to exploit for our benefit and theirs. Tatooine has other valuables not too far away from the water wells and it's not uncommon for the farmers to dig up some of those materials," the sergeant said. "What's typically dug up out of these moisture farms?" she inquired.

"A few precious metals that eventually find their way into our blasters and armor but nothing like cortosis or phrik alloy which can resist lightsaber cuts. Those exist on only a few planets and unfortunately, this isn't one of them," he answered. _Valuable metals and stones were rare even in my day, it's no surprise to me that it's rare now_ she thought but didn't say. "Why do you think Hoar favors this area when he attacks as much as some of the other locations?" she asked aloud.

"It's all about money nowadays, milady. Hoar wants the precious metals that these farmers sometimes so he can sell it to the Hutts," he answered. "And who are the Hutts?" she continued. "A bunch of sluglike thugs that feed upon the suffering of those they exploit for gain, they're gangsters," he said.

After a little bit of time for silence, they arrived at the moisture farm and Arden began looking around. She wasn't surprised to find dead stormtroopers though she did wonder how they got bludgeoned to death. "Sergeant, do Tusken Raiders carry any kind of weapon they might use to beat someone up close and directly with?" she asked. "They have metal rods called gaderffii sticks that they use when their blasters fail them," he answered.

_No doubt they also go into hand to hand combat as well when their sticks fail them too_ Arden observed. She continued to examine the corpses through the Force with a wave of her hand and she was able to recreate the scene of the attack in a series of pictures that played in her head. "Well he didn't attack with a whole lot of precision nor do I think he was alone in these attacks. Do these Tusken Raiders frequently travel in groups before they attack?" she inquired.

"Yes milady, it's almost impossible to get a Tusken Raider to travel by himself," the sergeant answered. _In that case, there may be some bloodshed after all. I had hoped to avoid it but it may not be out of order if this man doesn't travel alone_ she regretted silently. From the pictures, she was able to discern a pattern of attack that she could intercept once she had a place where he'd strike next.

This had her hoping that her apprentice was quick in finding Thok and equally quick in persuading him to talk. True that they needed both alive but Arden hadn't placed any limitations as to the lengths Shira could go to get an answer so long as she didn't kill him. She wondered if even with her mastery of the Variant of the Assassin, she'd have what it took to be cruel. But then she remembered how she thought she hadn't had any evil within her until the Schism began and the Legions were formed.

**Having gotten a location** for Thok's frequent hangout out of a stormtrooper that had just been thrown out of a bar for misconduct, Shira now made her way to where the Gamorrean hid. "Drink's on me Pigman if you can tell me where Hoar the Tusken Raider plans to strike next," Shira said. She had purchased two cups of Korriban Fire Whiskey before settling down at Thok's table to talk. "I don't mind the drink but I do mind being called 'Pigman', little miss," Thok warned.

"Give me a location and I'll apologize immediately," Shira insisted calmly. "Listen miss, Hoar and I have been pals since we were little kids. I'm not about to rat out such a friend without a price rivaling that," Thok snapped arrogantly. "Well, I was going to offer you the chance to learn the ancient martial arts style known as Terras Kasi at the feet of my Mistress but I think that's out the window," Shira suggested.

"Yeah, I don't wanna learn no martial arts. I'm a good enough brawler without that old fashioned crap," Thok exclaimed. "Then I'll make you a deal: if you beat me with your brawling skills, I'll leave you alone. But if I win, you have to tell me the location Hoar plans to strike at next and I may throw in obligatory Terras Kasi lessons as a stake," Shira offered calculatingly. Already, she had planned out a sequence of events for her Variant of the Assassin to topple his brawling skills.

She would let him try to attack first and then exploit any and all openings he left in the wake of his attack. "All right missie, you go yourself a deal. Head outside right now," Thok said as he stood up to leave the bar. Shira chugged down her whiskey whilst Thok left his on the table to be collected by someone else later. _Damn that felt good on my throat, now let's see what happens next_ she thought to herself excitedly.

Thok pointed to where he wanted her to go for the purposes of this fight and she obliged, knowing she would win no matter where he placed her. "Prepare yourself to be squashed little woman," he warned. "Is that the best threat you can do? My grandma scared me with her spanking threats more than you've scared me so far," she mocked.

This angered the 'Pigman' into doing precisely as she wanted: making the first move in a fit of anger. He made an overextended punch that she dodged with ease before practicing the first rule of the Variant of the Assassin: turn your enemy's strength against him whenever and wherever possible. Grabbing his arm, she wrestled him over her back and made several chops and punches to his throat and chest respectively. But whether it was because of the blubber he had in those areas or because of his sheer will, he was soon back up on his feet for another round.

"I promise I'll give you the whipping your grandmother never did. I'll bust your ass wide open with a single slap of my hand!" he vowed. "Well, you'll have to reach my ass first, now won't you?" she taunted. "That's it girl, you're dead meat now!" he shouted.

He charged again but this time with intent to grab her so that he could deliver on his vow. However, she was agile enough to dodge this and attack his side and back with several punches and chops that shattered ribs and had him gasping for air. But because of his size and possibly his will, he recovered from this and tried to swipe at her, whilst foolishly doing a full 180 degree turn in the process. Shira scoffed at this and caught the arm before delivering a blow to a small section of his arm near his elbow bone.

"That supposed to be a tickle?" he asked. "It was aimed for your nervous system in that area. The blow itself might have been painless but you won't be using that arm for a couple hours," she answered. He became fearful that she was right and when he tried to use his left arm again, it only dangled in place.

_Now this is where things will get exciting in this duel_ she thought to herself silently. With his good arm, the Gamorrean charged one last time with another overextended punch but she caught this. When she did, she extended the palm of her hand out with enough strength to shatter the cartilage in his nose. "Hey Thok, I thought you were unbeatable; look what a little human girl is doing to you!" exclaimed a Twi'lek in the audience.

"Shut up you! I'll beat this little Imperial scumbag into the dust before I'm through!" Thok shouted in reply. "The great Gamorrean servant of Jabba the Hutt is getting his ass handed to him by a little human chick from the Empire! Who'd have thunk?" mocked a Bothan.

_The audience is turning against him, this is where I can kill him with ease if I wanted to_ Shira observed quietly. Her green eyes focused on the movements of the Gamorrean who seemed to be all brawn and no brains at this point. With his remaining arm raised high, he intended to swipe her upside the head which would give any normal person a massive concussion and comatosed them for weeks. However, Shira Brie was no normal person and she proved it by charging up to Thok for the first time in this battle and conducting a chopping motion of her hand to his underarm.

The blow rushed so much blood up to the Pigman's brain that he almost hemorrhaged right then and there but couldn't fight anymore even without it. "Now, about that information that you promised me when we agreed to have this fight," Shira began after letting him recover a little. "That wasn't fair, you took cheap shots whenever you could!" Thok shouted. "Nope, I took the shots required of a master of my variant of Terras Kasi known as the Variant of the Assassin," she calmly replied.

Then she insisted on the info that Thok owed her and Thok was quick to tell her where Hoar planned on attacking. "He's going to start at Spaceport C-62 and see if he can make his way through the whole C-shelf before going elsewhere," Thok said. "Thank you, now rest and remain in the bar until I return: you need Terras Kasi lessons, my friend," Shira replied. Immediately, Shira relayed the information to her Mistress who copied her and asked a sergeant to take her there.

**"Spaceport 62 is the** most heavily attacked spaceport of any that we have controlled so far. It's the one where we receive the cargo from Kessel only to have it stolen," the sergeant said. "What's the cargo from Kessel?" Arden asked. "Spice from their spice mines where we keep our most rebellious prisoners work until they drop," the sergeant answered.

_I have heard of similar things happening before back in the days of the Republic's formation. The strongest and most uncooperative prisoners were assigned to the toughest worlds in the colonization efforts in hopes of breaking them into submission_ Arden observed. "Then let's head there and get ready to protect the cargo. Lure them out with the promise of easy pickings and then destroy them when they come within range," she ordered aloud.

"Milady, that's against Imperial protocol!" the sergeant answered. "I am Imperial protocol so long as the Emperor and Vader are absent. And I am telling you to order your superiors to strategize in that fashion if they want to better protect their cargo. Once that's done, if Hoar is not already dead, I will challenge him to single combat in front of his people: he won't deny me," she replied.

The sergeant contacted the Colonel and informed him of Arden's orders to his great reluctance before finally being persuaded. "When the Emperor hears about this, he won't be pleased with the breach of protocol," the sergeant warned. "Number one, the Emperor doesn't need to know: you can always say that you tightened security and it paid off. And number two, what's breaching protocol about baiting your enemies into a trap and then destroying them when I've seen worse off the Empire?" Arden retorted.

"You make valid points there Arden but those times where you saw worse were necessary actions taken by the Empire to maintain its properties," the sergeant replied, somewhat confused. "Were you even present at any of these breaches of military protocol? Or are you just rambling out what the Emperor and Vader want you to ramble out?" she demanded. The sergeant said nothing to answer which was answer enough for her and when she arrived, her trap was set in motion.

After dealing with Thok and insuring his future loyalty lied with her and Arden Lyn, Shira Brie decided it was best to take him to the shuttle and stay put until Arden finished with Hoar. In the meantime, she had to put up with Thok snoring in his sleep or else his constant questions when awake. "What variant do you think would fit me?" he asked first. "The Variant of Strength, most likely though I wouldn't be surprised if she decided to give you the Variant of the Rancor," she answered.

"Why is that?" he demanded. "Because you're just as reckless and just as dumb as a rancor," she snapped. "Hey, just because you beat me doesn't mean you can say that about me!" he warned, trying to use the arm that was still limp before giving up. "Damn, do all the variants have this much power on somebody's ability to move a limb?" he inquired.

"Not all of them no although all of them do have the ability to give their Masters unparalleled physical power in their hands," she explained. "Doesn't the name 'Terras Kasi' mean something related to the strength of a person's hands?" he suggested. "'Steel Hands' is its translation from Bunduki, the language of the Followers of Palawa who originated the art. They also found techniques unrelated to fighting that Arden used to survive the stopping of her heart via the Force.

"The result was that she was tranced for twenty-five thousand years, having only been awakened fifteen and a half years ago. Twice, she fell back into her own hibernations after that: one in space for fifteen years and another on Irkalla for six months," she stated. "Yikes, that must suck," he stated. "The first one did but the next two weren't as bad," she admitted.

"Now it'll only be a matter of time before Hoar attacks and she fights him. I wonder if she'll have any difficulty beating him," he said. "Why would you wonder that if she is my Mistress and my teacher?" she asked. "Hoar's killed Jedi and Dark Jedi before for money," he answered.

"Arden is no mere Jedi and definitely not a Dark Jedi. No, I think she belongs in her own, dangerous category: a Fallen Jedi. Shunned by the Light for her curiosities but reviled by the Dark Side for her inability to fully immerse herself in it," she confessed. "Do you say this because you're the same way?" he inquired.

"Had I been a member of the Order at any point in my life, I might have. But that's all that's missing for me to suffice that fit," she replied, shaking her head before speaking. "Would you ever want that fit?" he asked. Shira thought about that, at first confused by why he would ask it but then it became apparent so she just shook her head.

It ended all conversation in that simple response and Thok just rubbed his forehead when he had to. The near-hemorrhage still caused his head to ache sometimes and it was enough that he would probably need pain medications for a couple months to get his blood flow properly aligned._ She's pretty tough for a scrawny little human_ Thok thought to himself quietly. And indeed she was tough for someone of her physical appearance, who wouldn't be after serving the Emperor?

**"Hoar, it's almost time** for the attack. What do we do this time?" a young Raider asked his commander. "Same as always, use our sheer numbers to overwhelm the security guards and take the spice with force," Hoar answered. "Is that really wise... they might have upgraded by now?" the young warrior insisted.

"Oh no worries, the Imperials wouldn't know to do that if the cue came and bit them in the face," Hoar replied. The young warrior settled down after that and on Hoar's signal, the attack began and it was the seventeenth attack that this tribe of Tusken Raiders would make. Assuming that there was anyone to kill but it looked as though the spice shipments had been deserted this time around. Or else, they had actually walked into a trap just as the younger warrior had feared would be happening.

_No, the Imperials can't have gotten smarter since the last time that we attacked this spaceport!_ he thought to himself silently. His worst fears were confirmed the very moment that the stormtroopers came from nowhere and opened fire on Hoar's people. It was over in a matter of seconds with the majority of the three-dozen-membered party being killed immediately. Only Hoar himself and at least seven others survived and that was before he heard the worst thing possible.

"I challenge Hoar to single, hand-to-hand combat. If you win, we let you go and compensate for those who have fallen but if you lose, you are my slave until I command otherwise," a woman said. Something about her intimidated and scared him but he knew that he would answer this; he had to.


	26. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

Arden Lyn was impressed by the speed and efficiency of the attack the stormtroopers had put in. It had surprised the raiding party of Sand People and allowed her the means to challenge Hoar to face her on her terms. He had been called out in front of his people and if he was still alive and/or had any value left for his honor, he would not deny the challenge. Sure enough, a Tusken Raider more fiercely clad than the rest of his kind emerged from the clutter of warriors that remained.

"All this trouble for a challenge I would have accepted right away? You'll pay dearly human," he answered. "Hand-to-hand, no blasters or weapons of any kind. If I win, your people surrender to Imperial custody and you surrender to my personal arrest until further notice," she stated.

"What if I win?" he asked. _I should have known that the son of a whore would have wanted something in return for winning. But then I _did_ just lay down some stakes for him losing_ she thought silently. "Free spice for everyone for all time and as much as you want," she said.

"Alright human, you just made yourself a deal that has sealed your fate! I am the greatest warrior of all the tribes of Tusken Raiders in Tatooine!" he shouted. "Good, then your fall will be the loudest to be heard by all," she mocked calmly. Several of the stormtroopers and even some of the Sand People chuckled at that remark. Hoar decided, angered by the mockery, to immediately charge right into Arden in the hopes of landing a blow.

Instead, Arden simply channeled her energies towards the Variant of Anger (she would have used the Variant of the Assassin had she desired to prolong this duel and wear him out). The result was him not only missing but having the whole of his spinal cord attacked by a series of superhuman blows. "I have seldom needed the Force for dealing with garbage like you," Arden said while he was on the ground. "We'll soon see about that, you don't scare me!" he retorted after rising back up for another dose of pain.

_I never did intend to scare you, rabble. Only make you look like a fool in front of your people_ she thought but didn't say. She was too focused on the fight at hand to really care about scaring him as much as angering him. Anger made him stupid, that much she could tell as had been the case with his partner in crime Thok.

Both of them were strong and more than capable of taking down most normal humans with their bare hands in combat like this. However, Arden sensed the Variant of Anger beginning to take its toll on his body as was to be expected since each blow clouded the victim's senses. It didn't kill, it wasn't meant to do that, but it dull the wits and intellect of a fighter until they became raw anger itself. At that point, the opponent who had used the Variant could finish them off with relative ease and quickly.

"You cannot fight with your senses dulling, Hoar. It's only a matter of time before I beat you so you might as well surrender now and save some humiliation," she warned. She knew this warning would fall on deaf ears, it always did whenever she used this Variant on someone. But she was only aiming to use to further antagonize him and bring him down to madness faster than the normal rate for this method.

"I'll show you power like none you have ever seen in your whole miserable life!" Hoar exclaimed. Then he charged her again and began throwing a series of random punches and kicks that Arden evaded or deflected with relative ease. It was after he began to further wear out that she decided to lay down the finishing moves that would end this duel just as quickly as she desired. When he raised fists for boxing again, she merely smacked both sides of his head in martial arts fashion.

The result was that he was rendered dizzy for several critical seconds that she used to knee him in the stomach and grab the back of his mask. "Let's see the true face of our enemy, shall we?" she asked jokingly. The Tuskens gasped, a sign that the removal of the mask was a great dishonor to their people and something Arden could use to her advantage. She ripped the mask off his face and tossed it aside to see a somewhat humanoid (though deformity stood to make Hoar unique) face.

"How _dare_ you!" he exclaimed. Arden smiled, kneeing him again and then grabbing his head before ramming it right into a nearby wall and throw him around their arena. He crashed on several items, including part of a fuel canister which gave him a concussion when he landed his head there. "The fight is over, Hoar; your people view you as a disgraced, fallen member of their society," Arden said.

"Your death will redeem me!" he exclaimed. "No Hoar, she's right. It's over, we need a new leader now that you have been disgraced. Sorry Hoar but it is time we left," a young warrior spoke up.

And just like that, the rest of Hoar's Tusken Raider tribe surrendered to Imperial custody and Arden was able to take in Hoar. "It could have gone a lot worse for you, you know that right?" she asked him as she pulled him over to her shuttle. "How? You unmasked me and now my people would kill me if given the chance," he asked.

"That's one way it could have been worse: you could have been betrayed by your own sense of honor. Another way things could have been worse is that you could have been immediately put on trial before Lord Vader and the Emperor. They would have targeted you for execution already, the trial being only a formality to ease the tension," she answered. "And how am I better off with you than that?" he demanded.

"I offer you full pardon for your crimes and freedom to live as you choose in exchange for training in the ancient martial arts known as Terras Kasi. After all, I used it to defeat you but you do have the potential to become an even greater warrior than you already are," she explained calmly. "But what if I don't agree to this training?" he inquired. "Then you die humiliated and disgraced in front of all the galaxy, it's as simple as that," she explained bluntly.

"I accept your training on the condition that Thok join up with me, then," he said. "He's already been given the same pardon terms as you. You'll be seeing him again for sure," she replied. And she replied just in time for Shira Brie and the Gamorrean prisoner to greet her and her Tusken prize.

"I knew you'd be able to capture him, Mistress Arden!" Shira exclaimed. "Calm yourself apprentice, we're not through with our prisoners just yet," Arden replied calmly. Nonetheless, Shira's confidence in her and the enthusiasm behind it did make her laugh slightly and half smile. "What do you think the Emperor will allow us to do with these guys?" Shira asked when they were alone.

"I've already petitioned for full pardon in exchange for Terras Kasi training and full responsibility for any actions outside of the training," Arden answered. "Is that really wise, Mistress? If they try to rebel against the Empire again, it could be our necks that the Emperor cuts first," Shira inquired. "I highly doubt he'll go that far but he will hold us responsible for our actions and that's my last word," Arden replied.

"Very well Mistress, I just wished for a little caution to be aired is all," Shira stated. "I understand your concerns Shira, I truly do. Which is why I'm going to request Palpatine to examine your potential in the Force and see if you're worthy of the lightsaber," Arden said. Shira paled in surprise and she nearly fell to her knees in gratitude for what her Mistress had told him.

"I don't... I don't know how to thank you enough Arden," Shira said after a moment of silence. "Make no attempt to thank me, Shira. I don't need any repayment except to see you become a Master of Terras Kasi and a more than efficient servant of the Empire," Arden said with a smile. "Thank you, you're the best friend that I've had in my life," Shira exclaimed whilst hugging her Mistress.

"I can tell it's been your dream to wield a lightsaber for quite sometime," Arden offered. "Yes, most of my life actually," Shira admitted. "Then I'll see what I can do to have the Emperor see to the beginning of your dream come true," Arden replied. "Thank you Master, thank you very much," Shira stated.

**"You have done well** Arden Lyn, Hoar and Thok have evaded the other servants for some months but you manage to capture them in a single day. Once again, the Emperor's Hand has pleased the Emperor and his executioner Lord Vader. Is there anything the great Arden Lyn can request of me besides what she put in before the mission?" Palpatine asked. Arden had arrived and her hostages had been sentenced to the training that she planned to give them in the martial arts Terras Kasi immediately.

"Just one, your Majesty. I didn't capture Hoar and Thok single-handedly, I had the help of my pupil Shira Brie who brought down Thok by herself while I dealt with Hoar. She has proven herself more than capable in the Variant of the Assassin with this and can serve you well," Arden explained. "You request some kind of reward for her for her efforts in the mission?" Palpatine asked tonelessly. "Yes of course, your Majesty: I would like you to examine Shira Brie for Force potential, she has dreamed of this all her life," Arden answered.

"Very well, bring her forth," he said. He looked as though he was already disgusted and was hoping for a failure in her Force abilities. Why he was so disgruntled was beyond her but when he began to telepathically examine Shira's potential, his disgust melted away. "This is indeed quite a surprise: your pupil is powerful in the Force and will need training in order to harness her attunement," he said.

"Then she is capable of wielding a lightsaber?" Arden asked. Shira's excitement mounted and Palpatine flinched, possibly from sensing the excitement in her at this revelation. "If trained well, more than capable of wielding a lightsaber, yes," he answered at last. "In that case, with your permission, I shall personally see to her training in the arts," she suggested.

"Do that and remember that if either of your other pupils make a wrong move, they will be plucked immediately," he warned. "I understand Master, they will remain in servitude to me until further notice," she replied calmly with a bow. When Palpatine dismissed the four of them, Shira whispered a thanks to Arden though this was again rebuffed by Arden stating that she needed no gratitude. "Lightsabers, so I've heard, require a crystal as a focusing lens right?" Shira asked.

"That's what my last apprentice told me, yes. However, these lightsabers at my belt were not originally mine so I wouldn't know how to help you with making a lightsaber. For that, I think I'm going to have request information from Lord Vader on the matter," Arden admitted. "I await the information to form my own lightsaber, I have a purple adagent crystal that I can use as a lens," Shira said.

"All this talk of lightsaber making bores me, when do I begin learning how to use Terras Kasi to beat people up?" Thok asked. "Soon enough but for now, we need to arrange your sleeping chambers and Hoar's if we ever hope to make you comfy for your stay," Arden answered. "I don't need sleeping quarters, I'm a disgrace to the name Tusken Raider!" Hoar exclaimed. "But you're not a disgrace to the name Terras Kasi, not yet anyways," Arden replied.

That shut up Hoar immediately since that was a point to consider for them all except Arden who had already figured it all out. "Here are your rooms gentlemen, make the most of them that you can," Arden said when they arrived. "You're not going to yours for the night, my Mistress?" Shira asked. "Not yet, you need your information as well as a little training in the Force though the latter will be for tomorrow," Arden answered.

"Then what do you intend to do tonight, Mistress besides getting the information I'll need?" Shira inquired. "A little more training, suffice it to say, for myself," Arden replied. Thok and Hoar scratched their heads but Shira understood what her Mistress meant but saying that. "You need your rest Arden, you can't go on much longer without at least some meditation or sleep," Shira stated.

"I slept for twenty-five thousand years, went into a trance for fifteen years, and meditated for six months. You, more than anyone, should know that's more than enough rest for anyone," Arden replied. "Gentlemen, can you go into your rooms and let us be?" Shira asked. _She's going to try and persuade me that I need rest_ Arden thought as she marched off to the sparring room.

"Wait Mistress, wait," Shira said after seeing the men obey. "Shira, every time I rest I suffer from the memories of my past coming back to haunt me and drive me crazy. Even when I'm wide awake, some of the visions haunt me but I'm especially consumed when I rest," Arden replied. "Tell me Mistress, what pains you so and maybe I can help," Shira suggested.

"There is nothing you can do Shira, my husband and I tried to advocate for the research of the Dark Side so that the Jedi could prevent beings like Palpatine and Vader from existing," Arden said. "Your... husband? I didn't know," Shira asked. "I wouldn't have expected you to: he's as dead as the rest of those who fought in the First Jedi Schism," Arden answered.

"Tell me what happened between the two of you, tell me where is your pain so that perhaps I can take it away," Shira begged. Arden sighed as she set up a punching bag to blow off steam when they arrived in the sparring chamber. "When I was a little girl, my mother died giving birth to my brother who died minutes after. My father abandoned me with my aunt and uncle to help with the colonization efforts of the then-newly formed Republic after that and for years I never knew him," Arden began.

"Go on, Mistress, what happened after that?" Shira asked. "The normal cliche life of a Jedi back then: I was trained to become a Jedi sentinel and lived all my post-teenage life with the Order. However, I met a special man named Xendor who showed me a whole universe full of possibilities and even proposed to me with one of them after obtaining the blessing of my foster parents. I had loved him for years before and we had been friends since childhood which made it seem natural for us.

"We went on to attempt to decipher the code that gave the Dark Side, then known as Bogan, its strength and its ability to manipulate and ensnare anyone who fell under it fully. Xendor and I were both prestigious members of the Council by then and hoped to use our prestige to persuade. But the Council was greedy and corrupt, lusting only profit and thus they had no desire to understand Bogan. In many ways, it already possessed them under those circumstances though we didn't know it then," she continued reluctantly.

"So the Council turned against you two which caused you to splinter and form the Legions of Lettow in protest?" Shira asked. Arden nodded and added that the Legions were doomed to fail even with the help of the criminal underbelly that the Republic was already forming. "But the biggest blow that revealed their corruption was when they chose to hire an assassin previously defeated by Xendor. His name was Loki the Destroyer and the Council's strategy (and hope) was for them to kill each other.

"This would eliminate two of their biggest pests at the same time and without dirtying their hands before sending my own father to deal with me. He had only been reunited with me once or twice before and neither time had he revealed his association with me," Arden answered. "Then I'm guessing he's the one who put you into the hibernation?" Shira inquired. "No, his intent was to kill me by stopping my heart with a powerful Force technique now lost to all, I put myself in the hibernation to cheat death," Arden said.

"You then woke up to see that everything you had loved was considered a myth to the galaxy, not even dust remaining of the monuments built to honor them. Loneliness consumes you at every turn, slowly and painfully, but I know what it's like to lose family. I can't relate to having slept for twenty-five thousand years and lived to tell the tale but I can relate to loss of family and all I had," Shira explained. "I suppose you could and you are, without a doubt, one of the few people in this alien galaxy that fears and hates people like us that I would call a friend," Arden confessed.

"Then let me help you," Shira begged. "It's too late: if the insanity that my loneliness brings doesn't destroy me first my desire to have a normal life will," Arden replied sadly. "I don't believe that and I'll continue to help you as long as I possibly can," Shira snapped as she placed a hand on Arden. Arden fell to her knees and closed her eyes in an attempt to hold back her tears but she was no unable to thank Shira for her kindnesses.

"We are two of a kind Arden Lyn, whether you are a fallen Jedi and I am not or the other way around. It is people like us who live through our deeds even when our bodies have long gone to dust like all that came before us. Seldom do two people like us cross paths as we have and we need to stick together, treasuring that in the process," Shira explained. Arden took a moment to register that as well as wipe away the single tear that had escaped from her eyes during this conversation.

Then, when she had calmed herself and was ready to do so, she spoke to tell Shira that she would need to see Lord Vader if she wanted the information she needed. "I will but I'd much rather stay with you until I know you won't go whacko when I leave," Shira replied. "Trust me child, I will not," Arden promised. "I'll check for destroyed punching bags after you leave if that's the case," Shira teased.

Arden smiled and bade her apprentice goodnight before deciding that maybe it was better just to meditate instead of destroying things that didn't belong to her. But she wouldn't get much out of it before the familiar breathing of Lord Vader came into the room like a noisy snake. "You wish to see me, Lord Vader?" she asked immediately. "Yes Arden Lyn, there is the matter of your apprentice learning to use the lightsaber that we must speak of," he answered.

A quick reading of his pulses told Arden that he had not come to talk about the lightsaber training. "Bullshit, why are you really here?" she demanded. "I have a mission I wish for you to attend to when you can," Vader began, pausing after that. "Well get on with it, I can't go on a mission for the Emperor's executioner without details," she requested.

Agitated, Vader decided it was probably for the best that he did continue with the details. "A rogue Jedi, wielding a double-sided lightsaber has been attacking several critical Imperial bases. Her most recent attack has included a Kuat Shipyard that is essential to operations in an entire system. Destroy her and bring me her lightsaber whether in pieces or intact though I'd prefer it intact," he explained bluntly.

"I will leave at once, Master Vader," she said as she rose from her meditative stance. "Remember this also, Arden Lyn: the woman is old and relies purely on Force Valor whenever she strikes. If you have that ability then you can counter her application of it and neutralize her long enough to finish her off," he added. "Of course, I've done it before and I am more than willing to do it again if I must," she retorted.

"Then we are agreed?" Vader asked. "Of course, I long to begin my revenge against the descendants of the Jedi that imprisoned me so long ago. Why would I not be eager?" Arden answered. Vader shrugged and he watched as she left to begin packing up for a mission that she didn't doubt would be solo which he confirmed to her when she asked.

"She'll underestimate you when you arrive alone, figuring that her years of experience will be more than a match for any young opponent that can be thrown at her," Vader said. "She'll find that she's not the oldest person in the world and that the woman she confronts is though still in good shape. Don't worry, she'll be taken down in a matter of hours at most upon my arrival to her next location," Arden vowed. _I am hardly worried about that, Arden though I am worried if you are not realizing that the Emperor does not intend to give you your desire_ Vader thought but didn't say as she left.


	27. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Eight

**Chapter Seven**

Arden Lyn was impressed by the speed and efficiency of the attack the stormtroopers had put in. It had surprised the raiding party of Sand People and allowed her the means to challenge Hoar to face her on her terms. He had been called out in front of his people and if he was still alive and/or had any value left for his honor, he would not deny the challenge. Sure enough, a Tusken Raider more fiercely clad than the rest of his kind emerged from the clutter of warriors that remained.

"All this trouble for a challenge I would have accepted right away? You'll pay dearly human," he answered. "Hand-to-hand, no blasters or weapons of any kind. If I win, your people surrender to Imperial custody and you surrender to my personal arrest until further notice," she stated.

"What if I win?" he asked. _I should have known that the son of a whore would have wanted something in return for winning. But then I _did_ just lay down some stakes for him losing_ she thought silently. "Free spice for everyone for all time and as much as you want," she said.

"Alright human, you just made yourself a deal that has sealed your fate! I am the greatest warrior of all the tribes of Tusken Raiders in Tatooine!" he shouted. "Good, then your fall will be the loudest to be heard by all," she mocked calmly. Several of the stormtroopers and even some of the Sand People chuckled at that remark. Hoar decided, angered by the mockery, to immediately charge right into Arden in the hopes of landing a blow.

Instead, Arden simply channeled her energies towards the Variant of Anger (she would have used the Variant of the Assassin had she desired to prolong this duel and wear him out). The result was him not only missing but having the whole of his spinal cord attacked by a series of superhuman blows. "I have seldom needed the Force for dealing with garbage like you," Arden said while he was on the ground. "We'll soon see about that, you don't scare me!" he retorted after rising back up for another dose of pain.

_I never did intend to scare you, rabble. Only make you look like a fool in front of your people_ she thought but didn't say. She was too focused on the fight at hand to really care about scaring him as much as angering him. Anger made him stupid, that much she could tell as had been the case with his partner in crime Thok.

Both of them were strong and more than capable of taking down most normal humans with their bare hands in combat like this. However, Arden sensed the Variant of Anger beginning to take its toll on his body as was to be expected since each blow clouded the victim's senses. It didn't kill, it wasn't meant to do that, but it dull the wits and intellect of a fighter until they became raw anger itself. At that point, the opponent who had used the Variant could finish them off with relative ease and quickly.

"You cannot fight with your senses dulling, Hoar. It's only a matter of time before I beat you so you might as well surrender now and save some humiliation," she warned. She knew this warning would fall on deaf ears, it always did whenever she used this Variant on someone. But she was only aiming to use to further antagonize him and bring him down to madness faster than the normal rate for this method.

"I'll show you power like none you have ever seen in your whole miserable life!" Hoar exclaimed. Then he charged her again and began throwing a series of random punches and kicks that Arden evaded or deflected with relative ease. It was after he began to further wear out that she decided to lay down the finishing moves that would end this duel just as quickly as she desired. When he raised fists for boxing again, she merely smacked both sides of his head in martial arts fashion.

The result was that he was rendered dizzy for several critical seconds that she used to knee him in the stomach and grab the back of his mask. "Let's see the true face of our enemy, shall we?" she asked jokingly. The Tuskens gasped, a sign that the removal of the mask was a great dishonor to their people and something Arden could use to her advantage. She ripped the mask off his face and tossed it aside to see a somewhat humanoid (though deformity stood to make Hoar unique) face.

"How _dare_ you!" he exclaimed. Arden smiled, kneeing him again and then grabbing his head before ramming it right into a nearby wall and throw him around their arena. He crashed on several items, including part of a fuel canister which gave him a concussion when he landed his head there. "The fight is over, Hoar; your people view you as a disgraced, fallen member of their society," Arden said.

"Your death will redeem me!" he exclaimed. "No Hoar, she's right. It's over, we need a new leader now that you have been disgraced. Sorry Hoar but it is time we left," a young warrior spoke up.

And just like that, the rest of Hoar's Tusken Raider tribe surrendered to Imperial custody and Arden was able to take in Hoar. "It could have gone a lot worse for you, you know that right?" she asked him as she pulled him over to her shuttle. "How? You unmasked me and now my people would kill me if given the chance," he asked.

"That's one way it could have been worse: you could have been betrayed by your own sense of honor. Another way things could have been worse is that you could have been immediately put on trial before Lord Vader and the Emperor. They would have targeted you for execution already, the trial being only a formality to ease the tension," she answered. "And how am I better off with you than that?" he demanded.

"I offer you full pardon for your crimes and freedom to live as you choose in exchange for training in the ancient martial arts known as Terras Kasi. After all, I used it to defeat you but you do have the potential to become an even greater warrior than you already are," she explained calmly. "But what if I don't agree to this training?" he inquired. "Then you die humiliated and disgraced in front of all the galaxy, it's as simple as that," she explained bluntly.

"I accept your training on the condition that Thok join up with me, then," he said. "He's already been given the same pardon terms as you. You'll be seeing him again for sure," she replied. And she replied just in time for Shira Brie and the Gamorrean prisoner to greet her and her Tusken prize.

"I knew you'd be able to capture him, Mistress Arden!" Shira exclaimed. "Calm yourself apprentice, we're not through with our prisoners just yet," Arden replied calmly. Nonetheless, Shira's confidence in her and the enthusiasm behind it did make her laugh slightly and half smile. "What do you think the Emperor will allow us to do with these guys?" Shira asked when they were alone.

"I've already petitioned for full pardon in exchange for Terras Kasi training and full responsibility for any actions outside of the training," Arden answered. "Is that really wise, Mistress? If they try to rebel against the Empire again, it could be our necks that the Emperor cuts first," Shira inquired. "I highly doubt he'll go that far but he will hold us responsible for our actions and that's my last word," Arden replied.

"Very well Mistress, I just wished for a little caution to be aired is all," Shira stated. "I understand your concerns Shira, I truly do. Which is why I'm going to request Palpatine to examine your potential in the Force and see if you're worthy of the lightsaber," Arden said. Shira paled in surprise and she nearly fell to her knees in gratitude for what her Mistress had told him.

"I don't... I don't know how to thank you enough Arden," Shira said after a moment of silence. "Make no attempt to thank me, Shira. I don't need any repayment except to see you become a Master of Terras Kasi and a more than efficient servant of the Empire," Arden said with a smile. "Thank you, you're the best friend that I've had in my life," Shira exclaimed whilst hugging her Mistress.

"I can tell it's been your dream to wield a lightsaber for quite sometime," Arden offered. "Yes, most of my life actually," Shira admitted. "Then I'll see what I can do to have the Emperor see to the beginning of your dream come true," Arden replied. "Thank you Master, thank you very much," Shira stated.

**"You have done well** Arden Lyn, Hoar and Thok have evaded the other servants for some months but you manage to capture them in a single day. Once again, the Emperor's Hand has pleased the Emperor and his executioner Lord Vader. Is there anything the great Arden Lyn can request of me besides what she put in before the mission?" Palpatine asked. Arden had arrived and her hostages had been sentenced to the training that she planned to give them in the martial arts Terras Kasi immediately.

"Just one, your Majesty. I didn't capture Hoar and Thok single-handedly, I had the help of my pupil Shira Brie who brought down Thok by herself while I dealt with Hoar. She has proven herself more than capable in the Variant of the Assassin with this and can serve you well," Arden explained. "You request some kind of reward for her for her efforts in the mission?" Palpatine asked tonelessly. "Yes of course, your Majesty: I would like you to examine Shira Brie for Force potential, she has dreamed of this all her life," Arden answered.

"Very well, bring her forth," he said. He looked as though he was already disgusted and was hoping for a failure in her Force abilities. Why he was so disgruntled was beyond her but when he began to telepathically examine Shira's potential, his disgust melted away. "This is indeed quite a surprise: your pupil is powerful in the Force and will need training in order to harness her attunement," he said.

"Then she is capable of wielding a lightsaber?" Arden asked. Shira's excitement mounted and Palpatine flinched, possibly from sensing the excitement in her at this revelation. "If trained well, more than capable of wielding a lightsaber, yes," he answered at last. "In that case, with your permission, I shall personally see to her training in the arts," she suggested.

"Do that and remember that if either of your other pupils make a wrong move, they will be plucked immediately," he warned. "I understand Master, they will remain in servitude to me until further notice," she replied calmly with a bow. When Palpatine dismissed the four of them, Shira whispered a thanks to Arden though this was again rebuffed by Arden stating that she needed no gratitude. "Lightsabers, so I've heard, require a crystal as a focusing lens right?" Shira asked.

"That's what my last apprentice told me, yes. However, these lightsabers at my belt were not originally mine so I wouldn't know how to help you with making a lightsaber. For that, I think I'm going to have request information from Lord Vader on the matter," Arden admitted. "I await the information to form my own lightsaber, I have a purple adagent crystal that I can use as a lens," Shira said.

"All this talk of lightsaber making bores me, when do I begin learning how to use Terras Kasi to beat people up?" Thok asked. "Soon enough but for now, we need to arrange your sleeping chambers and Hoar's if we ever hope to make you comfy for your stay," Arden answered. "I don't need sleeping quarters, I'm a disgrace to the name Tusken Raider!" Hoar exclaimed. "But you're not a disgrace to the name Terras Kasi, not yet anyways," Arden replied.

That shut up Hoar immediately since that was a point to consider for them all except Arden who had already figured it all out. "Here are your rooms gentlemen, make the most of them that you can," Arden said when they arrived. "You're not going to yours for the night, my Mistress?" Shira asked. "Not yet, you need your information as well as a little training in the Force though the latter will be for tomorrow," Arden answered.

"Then what do you intend to do tonight, Mistress besides getting the information I'll need?" Shira inquired. "A little more training, suffice it to say, for myself," Arden replied. Thok and Hoar scratched their heads but Shira understood what her Mistress meant but saying that. "You need your rest Arden, you can't go on much longer without at least some meditation or sleep," Shira stated.

"I slept for twenty-five thousand years, went into a trance for fifteen years, and meditated for six months. You, more than anyone, should know that's more than enough rest for anyone," Arden replied. "Gentlemen, can you go into your rooms and let us be?" Shira asked. _She's going to try and persuade me that I need rest_ Arden thought as she marched off to the sparring room.

"Wait Mistress, wait," Shira said after seeing the men obey. "Shira, every time I rest I suffer from the memories of my past coming back to haunt me and drive me crazy. Even when I'm wide awake, some of the visions haunt me but I'm especially consumed when I rest," Arden replied. "Tell me Mistress, what pains you so and maybe I can help," Shira suggested.

"There is nothing you can do Shira, my husband and I tried to advocate for the research of the Dark Side so that the Jedi could prevent beings like Palpatine and Vader from existing," Arden said. "Your... husband? I didn't know," Shira asked. "I wouldn't have expected you to: he's as dead as the rest of those who fought in the First Jedi Schism," Arden answered.

"Tell me what happened between the two of you, tell me where is your pain so that perhaps I can take it away," Shira begged. Arden sighed as she set up a punching bag to blow off steam when they arrived in the sparring chamber. "When I was a little girl, my mother died giving birth to my brother who died minutes after. My father abandoned me with my aunt and uncle to help with the colonization efforts of the then-newly formed Republic after that and for years I never knew him," Arden began.

"Go on, Mistress, what happened after that?" Shira asked. "The normal cliche life of a Jedi back then: I was trained to become a Jedi sentinel and lived all my post-teenage life with the Order. However, I met a special man named Xendor who showed me a whole universe full of possibilities and even proposed to me with one of them after obtaining the blessing of my foster parents. I had loved him for years before and we had been friends since childhood which made it seem natural for us.

"We went on to attempt to decipher the code that gave the Dark Side, then known as Bogan, its strength and its ability to manipulate and ensnare anyone who fell under it fully. Xendor and I were both prestigious members of the Council by then and hoped to use our prestige to persuade. But the Council was greedy and corrupt, lusting only profit and thus they had no desire to understand Bogan. In many ways, it already possessed them under those circumstances though we didn't know it then," she continued reluctantly.

"So the Council turned against you two which caused you to splinter and form the Legions of Lettow in protest?" Shira asked. Arden nodded and added that the Legions were doomed to fail even with the help of the criminal underbelly that the Republic was already forming. "But the biggest blow that revealed their corruption was when they chose to hire an assassin previously defeated by Xendor. His name was Loki the Destroyer and the Council's strategy (and hope) was for them to kill each other.

"This would eliminate two of their biggest pests at the same time and without dirtying their hands before sending my own father to deal with me. He had only been reunited with me once or twice before and neither time had he revealed his association with me," Arden answered. "Then I'm guessing he's the one who put you into the hibernation?" Shira inquired. "No, his intent was to kill me by stopping my heart with a powerful Force technique now lost to all, I put myself in the hibernation to cheat death," Arden said.

"You then woke up to see that everything you had loved was considered a myth to the galaxy, not even dust remaining of the monuments built to honor them. Loneliness consumes you at every turn, slowly and painfully, but I know what it's like to lose family. I can't relate to having slept for twenty-five thousand years and lived to tell the tale but I can relate to loss of family and all I had," Shira explained. "I suppose you could and you are, without a doubt, one of the few people in this alien galaxy that fears and hates people like us that I would call a friend," Arden confessed.

"Then let me help you," Shira begged. "It's too late: if the insanity that my loneliness brings doesn't destroy me first my desire to have a normal life will," Arden replied sadly. "I don't believe that and I'll continue to help you as long as I possibly can," Shira snapped as she placed a hand on Arden. Arden fell to her knees and closed her eyes in an attempt to hold back her tears but she was no unable to thank Shira for her kindnesses.

"We are two of a kind Arden Lyn, whether you are a fallen Jedi and I am not or the other way around. It is people like us who live through our deeds even when our bodies have long gone to dust like all that came before us. Seldom do two people like us cross paths as we have and we need to stick together, treasuring that in the process," Shira explained. Arden took a moment to register that as well as wipe away the single tear that had escaped from her eyes during this conversation.

Then, when she had calmed herself and was ready to do so, she spoke to tell Shira that she would need to see Lord Vader if she wanted the information she needed. "I will but I'd much rather stay with you until I know you won't go whacko when I leave," Shira replied. "Trust me child, I will not," Arden promised. "I'll check for destroyed punching bags after you leave if that's the case," Shira teased.

Arden smiled and bade her apprentice goodnight before deciding that maybe it was better just to meditate instead of destroying things that didn't belong to her. But she wouldn't get much out of it before the familiar breathing of Lord Vader came into the room like a noisy snake. "You wish to see me, Lord Vader?" she asked immediately. "Yes Arden Lyn, there is the matter of your apprentice learning to use the lightsaber that we must speak of," he answered.

A quick reading of his pulses told Arden that he had not come to talk about the lightsaber training. "Bullshit, why are you really here?" she demanded. "I have a mission I wish for you to attend to when you can," Vader began, pausing after that. "Well get on with it, I can't go on a mission for the Emperor's executioner without details," she requested.

Agitated, Vader decided it was probably for the best that he did continue with the details. "A rogue Jedi, wielding a double-sided lightsaber has been attacking several critical Imperial bases. Her most recent attack has included a Kuat Shipyard that is essential to operations in an entire system. Destroy her and bring me her lightsaber whether in pieces or intact though I'd prefer it intact," he explained bluntly.

"I will leave at once, Master Vader," she said as she rose from her meditative stance. "Remember this also, Arden Lyn: the woman is old and relies purely on Force Valor whenever she strikes. If you have that ability then you can counter her application of it and neutralize her long enough to finish her off," he added. "Of course, I've done it before and I am more than willing to do it again if I must," she retorted.

"Then we are agreed?" Vader asked. "Of course, I long to begin my revenge against the descendants of the Jedi that imprisoned me so long ago. Why would I not be eager?" Arden answered. Vader shrugged and he watched as she left to begin packing up for a mission that she didn't doubt would be solo which he confirmed to her when she asked.

"She'll underestimate you when you arrive alone, figuring that her years of experience will be more than a match for any young opponent that can be thrown at her," Vader said. "She'll find that she's not the oldest person in the world and that the woman she confronts is though still in good shape. Don't worry, she'll be taken down in a matter of hours at most upon my arrival to her next location," Arden vowed. _I am hardly worried about that, Arden though I am worried if you are not realizing that the Emperor does not intend to give you your desire_ Vader thought but didn't say as she left.


	28. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

"Jedi Master Hermione Astin, mother of Fable, is dead then?" Vader asked. "Yes, she will be troubling you no more, Lord Vader," Arden Lyn answered. "Her lightsaber," he requested tonelessly. Arden unclipped it from her belt and threw it at him, watching as he first stopped it with telekinesis then pulled it into his hand without even turning around to face her.

Igniting both ends, he held it out in front of him for a brief moment or two and spun it slightly before deactivating it once more. "You have done well, Arden Lyn. I have already handed Shira Brie the chip with the information she needs and now she is permitted access. Tell her that the code for unlocking the information, I had it locked while before you left, is 'Amidala'," he said after some silence.

A glimpse of a vision that Arden had at that word showed a woman with long braided hair, and pregnant, in pain and she wondered if it was something from Vader's past. However, she didn't bother to ask as she proceeded to leave though not before Vader stopped her one more time. "I have no more missions for you right now and the Emperor doesn't have any for you or Shira. Use this time off from service well," he stated.

She didn't know if he had glimpsed into her bond with Shira Brie or if he was just guessing but either way, it somewhat surprised her that he would say that. "I think we both intend to, Lord Vader. And I can say that with more than adequate confidence in myself and in her," she replied. _What the hell is he doing, talking about us anyway?_ she asked herself silently.

Arriving at her headquarters, she was surprised to see Shira Brie already waiting for her there. "Shira, what a surprise. I just came back from dealing with a Jedi named Hermione Astin," Arden began. "I know, Lord Vader bargained a Jedi life in exchange for the information; did you get the combination out of him?" Shira asked immediately.

Arden nodded and told her the code to which Shira laughed, something that prompted Arden's curiosity. "Amidala was the clan name of a woman he loved years ago and fell to the Dark Side in an attempt to supposedly save her from the future. She was pregnant with his child and he feared her death in childbirth, however, he was the one who killed her," Shira explained. "That explains the vision I had when he said the name Amidala of a pregnant woman being painfully killed by someone," Arden stated.

"Do you do that every time someone mentions a significant name?" Shira asked. "No, just when a name is mentioned that is familiar either to me or someone I know," Arden answered. "Well don't tell him I mentioned anything, I only know because the Emperor chose to tell me," Shira said. "Not to worry, we won't even be anywhere near him or the Emperor for the next few days or so," Arden said.

"What do you mean?" Shira demanded. "I think it's time we had a night or two on the town, explored the sights of Coruscant. Besides the Palace and the blocks around, I haven't seen much of Coruscant during my service to the Emperor," Arden explained. "You mean..." Shira began.

"Yes, it's time we explored and get some good views, maybe even some shopping. Isn't shopping normal for girls?" Arden teased with a smile. "Yes of course, except that I myself have never been shopping before in my life," Shira replied.

"Neither have I, it'll be a new experience for the both of us," Arden retorted, giggling. "Can we go see the operas that the Emperor is a fan of?" Shira asked. "Why not? So long as we have the time. I believe we can squeeze that into our schedule," Arden answered.

"Then what are we waiting for then, let's get some credits and get going!" Shira exclaimed. Arden smiled and managed to withdraw two thousand credits from the payments that both of them received from the missions they had went on though their total was double that. "This should be enough for a week of travel if we budget the credits just right," Arden said. "Excellent, let's go shopping now," Shira replied.

**"Arden and Shira did** _what_!?" Hoar asked. "They went shopping and seeing the sights, just like normal Human girls," Thok answered. "I will never understand humans and why they do the things they do," Hoar stated. "Well maybe we should get some practice in on our techniques while we await their return," Thok suggested.

Since being captured by Arden and Shira last month, Thok had been practicing the Variant of the Rancor whilst Hoar practiced the Variant of the Snake. Both were excellent techniques and Hoar showed the speedy, fluid movements, while Thok was brutal and strong in his own technique. "I don't see why not, it would be what she would want us to do," Hoar said, shrugging in acceptance. The two aliens walked off from their quarters and set up a session of sparring in the chambers of their practice.

"Do you ever wonder why it is that Arden Lyn acts like a normal human whenever she's around Shira and not us?" Thok inquired. "Not really: as I told you before, I can never understand why humans act the way they do around each other. That is, except when they're violent towards each other as I've seen it amongst my people as well," Hoar explained. "It seems that that is the way of things even for the most humanoid alien species: never understanding humans without being around them for a while," Thok agreed.

"I'm glad I found you two here when I did," said the voice of Lord Vader suddenly. "Lord Vader, what a surprise!" they simultaneously exclaimed. "I have a mission for the two of you that you can attend to while your Mistress is seeing the sights with Shira Brie. When either of you get a chance, there is a senator from Cato Neimoidia that is demanding more than he deserves in profits.

"I need the two of you to track him down and silence him with your martial arts and any other techniques that you know," Vader explained bluntly. "Neimoidians, even in the Clone Wars they were the more talkative of the non-humanoid aliens," Hoar said. "We'll clobber this guy before you can say 'I want supper', what vital statistics do we need on this guy?" Thok asked. "Only that he holds very little security around him, preferring to let his wealth say more about his power.

"But when he does have bodyguards around, they're usually hired men that end up doing shabby jobs. That and he likes the party life so you will need to look in every bar that you can find to see him except for the slummy ones. He prefers the high life even when he goes to the bars for a drink and maybe a couple women," Vader answered. "Very well, let's see if we can find this guy and beat him up big time," Thok said.

"I have already downloaded a picture of him into your datapads so that you don't go randomly beating Neimoidians when you arrive. Remember this also, if possible just scare him into submission of my demands but if not, kill him. He'd be a loose end if he does not accept the offers that the Emperor and I have both extended to him," Vader stated. Hoar and Thok nodded, asking if a ship was ready to which Lord Vader said that one was ready for them.

**By the time the Emperor** heard the news that Arden Lyn and Shira Brie had gone to see the sights, he had already added six servants to the rank Emperor's Hand. None of them knew of each other and Arden Lyn would not know of their existence either. So far Sarcev Quest, Cronal, Roganda Ismaren, Mara Jade, Aralina Salik, and Jallar Grolin were the six hired nominees. Others that he had considered were Jeng Droga, Sa Cuis, Sheyvan, and Vess Kogo who he still was considering.

Inquisitor Tremayne had also put in a request to be nominated as an Emperor's Hand although Palpatine felt that he was still useful as just an Inquisitor. Though he still turned him down, Palpatine had a feeling that maybe Maarek Stele would be useful in this area as well. However, the only reason he had any doubts was because Stele was already an Emperor's Reach which parallel to a Hand. Stele was ambitious and giving him too much power might have meant dooming himself and Vader for overthrow.

However, the Emperor tossed these thoughts into the deepest and darkest pits of his mind when he heard about what Arden Lyn and Shira Brie had done. "There had better be a good explanation for this!" he hissed. "Arden told me she wanted to spend some time alone with Shira, seeing the sights of the planet since she has yet to do it," Vader said. "Very well, but immediately assign them to a mission with those alien men Hoar and Thok so that this distraction never arises in them again!" Palpatine ordered.

He didn't want Shira giving into the temptation to reveal his offer to Arden which would be a catastrophe. When Arden found out, she would immediately suspect that she wasn't the only Emperor's Hand and possibly defect from the Empire. He couldn't afford to lose Arden's abilities, not now when he still had so much that she would need to do for him and under him. "Not all is lost milord, Arden said she would check back periodically and that they would be back in at least a week or so," Vader said.

"Foolish man, by then Shira might have told her everything! Halt this little expedition now, I have a mission for them!" Palpatine ordered. He would not let Shira jeopardize his ability to use Arden Lyn as his pawn for her own pathetic gains. And luckily, Inquisitor Tremayne was immediate to answer as well as bring some stormtroopers with him just incase Arden got a little uncooperative.

**"What sights, what beauty!"** Arden exclaimed. "I've seen a little bit of this before but never in such glorious detail as this!" Shira admitted. Already the girls had been through several malls and had made purchases with which they were satisfied. These included mechanical supplies to prepare Shira's lightsaber as well as several fashion trends they hoped to try when they weren't in combat.

But the reason for their current admiration was the lighting of the Opera house that Palpatine had claimed having a fancy for. "The story they're trying to tell is a little skewed but the visuals are grand," Arden stated. "Indeed but I think most stories are skewed by the visuals anyway, regardless of how good it is," Shira agreed.

Just then, the door to their box was knocked on and Shira decided to answer while Arden remained gawking at the sights. "Shira Brie, Arden Lyn, the Emperor wants you and he wants you back at the Palace right now!" Tremayne hissed next to them. "So he's angry that we went on a little spree when we didn't have anything to do, whoopie-fucking-do," Arden replied. "Your defiance will cost you dearly if you do not come with me now and back to the Emperor's Throne for you mission," he warned.

Five years later...

Governors, rogue senators, pirates, smugglers, even rogue Dark Side cults fell before the might of Arden Lyn and her team of Terras Kasi students. But this latest threat was different, it was a branch of the Followers of Palawa that had extended outside of Bunduki to stake their own claim. However, they had come into contact with the Prophets of the Dark Side who demanded their heads now. "Wouldn't it be easier to have Thok and Hoar lead the rest of the students into surrounding this new enemy and stalling them while we kill the leaders of this group?" Shira Brie asked.  
"It would if it weren't for the fact that the Followers of Palawa are gifted in the ways of the Force as well as guarding against telepathic attacks based on it. They also have a really incredible talent for war strategy and would suspect such a trap right off the bat," Arden answered. Five years of combat experience had hardened them to the pain of suffering of others but never to each other. Since the fateful day when the girls had attempted to be normal five years ago, their relationship had improved.

As time passed by, it was becoming more and more common for Arden to call Shira "Little Wolf" while Shira called her "Mama Bear" in private. "Then what do you suggest we do, Mama Bear?" Shira asked. Arden thought about that carefully, scanning the fortress that this splinter group of the Followers had holed themselves up in. That was when she observed open moats that her other students, including Hoar and Thok, could use to the advantage of the team.

"Have Hoar and Thok take half of the other students and fill up those two open moats over there. The stench will drive out those who can't stand the smell, let alone any poisonous fumes that they may emit. Once that's done, the ones that remain are the ones that we attack when we go in head-on," she answered. "So I suggest gasmasks for everyone if that's going to be the case: even if they can't ward off the smell, they can ward off the worst of the aerial poisons," Shira replied.

"Good idea, Little Wolf. Have Hoar and Thok make sure that everyone is wearing masks just in case there's anything toxic after they fill up the moats. They're to do the deed by any means that they can find, even if they have to risk swimming in the sewages for a time or two," Arden requested. Shira typed a code into her wrist comlink which she explained as doing precisely that through beeps. "Good, let's hope that Thok and Hoar actually obey orders this time; don't want another Geonosis," Arden said.

Geonosis had been the worst mission for the whole team in the history of their five-year career. Two years ago, a cousin of CIS leader Poggle the Lesser had risen to take his place and was inciting mutiny amongst his fellow Geonosians. The plan to stop had been to infiltrate his ranks as quietly and as efficiently as possible with little to no killing wherever possible. But Thok and Hoar were both used to so much killing that when they went on another spree, they compromised that plan for the whole team.

Out of the original thirty-four that had joined the team at that point, only fifteen had survived to tell the tale though they managed to assassinate the rebellious Geonosian anyway. Since then, their numbers had not only bounced back but also doubled with another twelve soon to join the ranks. During all fives years, Arden Lyn and Shira Brie remained supreme commanders of the team of Terras Kasi-wielding Force-sensitives capable of excellent things even without other weapons than their hands. "How's your hand healing from that?" Shira asked.

During her assassination of Poggle's cousin, Arden had burned her hand in one of the smelting pots that helped create blasters of all kind having used the Variant of Anger. However, the burns were not severe nor was her hand permanently mangled in anyway though some scars remained. She had even had her first bad case of arthritis in her hand since it caused pain to move it for months afterwards. "There isn't the pain that comes from moving my hand anymore, that's for sure," Arden answered quietly.

"That's good, look! Hoar and Thok are actually trying to be stealthy for once," Shira said, pointing to where she was looking in order to get Arden's attention. Sure enough, to Arden's surprise, they were indeed trying to be stealthy and were doing a surprisingly good job of it. When they arrived at the moats, they found it easy to break several of the controls and cause the floodgates to close instantly. "Okay, we got the moats closed: it'll just a matter of time before we flush out the sissies we don't want and kill the rest inside, over and out," Thok said into Shira's comlink.

"Copy that, Pigman. Over and out," Shira retorted. Arden laughed slightly and quietly at that, unbelieving that five years of the Gamorrean complaining about being called that hadn't deterred Shira. "One of these days, he's going to challenge you to a rematch of the duel you two first had or worse," Arden teased. "Right and when that day happens, my ass is the size of his fist," Shira joked.

"What the hell?" Arden asked confused. Then she recalled that Shira had always had a tomboyish build and as a result, had small breasts and a small buttocks. Shaking her head, she understood immediately that Shira was just trying to ridicule Thok further behind his back. "One of these days Shira, one of these days..." Arden said, drifting off as she quietly laughed.

"How long before the moats do their part?" Shira asked. "Shouldn't be more than a standard hour or two for the weaklings to decide to leave. One and a half at the most before they're all crowding to get out first," Arden answered. "Great, now all we gotta do is sit back and play the waiting game we're already going to win anyway," Shira stated.

"I know you hate having to wait almost as much as Hoar and Thok do but it does pay to be patient, Little Wolf. Trust me," Arden said. Shira shrugged though she did manage to wait out the hour and twenty-four minutes before the soldiers of the Followers were beating a hasty retreat. "So they didn't like our little present, too bad they can't return it," Shira joked.

Arden chuckled and asked Shira to order Hoar and Thok to have the students incite some terror into the people at the back of the retreating masses. "Gives the front ones more incentive to get out faster than they already are," Arden added. Shira delivered the orders and soon, they bore witness to the soldiers at the front being trampled by the more terrified ones at the back of the crowd. "Good, now our part begins; come with me, Little Wolf," Arden said as she ignited both her lightsabers.

Following behind, Shira had ignited her own black-bladed saber as she followed Arden into the fray of the battle that their other team members had already started. Immediately, Arden began hacking down people with her Jar'Kai and Ataru skills upon arriving to the front of the fortress. Meanwhile, Shira cleaned up those she missed with Shii-Cho, Shien, and some Juyo when it was necessary. Both would sometimes fall back into Soresu in order to deflect the blaster bolts but would continue hacking.

When it was over, the priests who had led the splinter group of Followers of Palawa were exposed and vulnerable to the attack of people who were mostly in the prime of their youth. "It's over Priests, surrender now and spare yourselves the humiliation of defeat by people that know your ways. Terras Kasi has betrayed you twelve because they now belong to us sixty-eight," Arden warned them. "Even with your numbers and your ancient age, Arden Lyn, we will put up a valiant fight before we fall and that is a promise," the leader replied.

"I'm counting on it, Follower of Palawa and my students are begging for it," Arden retorted. Then the students unleashed their potential upon the other eleven priests with many wielding the Variant of the Assassin like Shira or the Variant of the Rancor like Thok. But for the leader, Arden decided to show him her might in the Variant of Anger, the very tactic all like him feared most in their own styles. "I sense great tragedy and pain within you Arden Lyn, please let me help you," the priest asked her.

"Your ancestors made a similar offer to me once but they betrayed me and my husband Xendor when they took money from the Jedi in exchange for information about our locations. I need no help from a child of Palawa who flees from Bunduki to go about his own way!" she hissed at him. She defeated him with relative ease after that by breaking his skull and denting his ribcage severely. However, even as he lied dying before her, it still seemed as though he wanted to remedy her pains and relieve her suffering.

But she quickly snapped his neck with a boot, finishing him off once and for all. "That was an easy enough mission, the Emperor's beginning to run out of ideas for us since the Death Star blew up. Are we to be the first subjects of his anger or something like that?" Hoar asked. "No, he's just too busy to give us anything other than this, that's why he trusts the Prophets to assign us," Arden answered.

"She does have a point there, Thok. Kadann has been giving us some real biggies and the credits to go with, after all," Hoar pointed out. "Thank you, now if no one else has any suggestions for what to take from this temple, we are done here," Arden stated. No one did and they walked out with their two-hundred and thirty-seventh mission as a team completed with relative ease once again.


	29. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

Five years had gone by since Shira Brie had been made the offer to be an Emperor's Hand. Though she requested to settle for being a Shadow Hand of Lord Vader when she wasn't with Arden, she had a feeling the offer was still open especially now that she had shown true potential. Her black lightsaber was one of the most well known in the Emperor's service and one of the most feared. Combined with Arden Lyn's green and orange lightsaber, anyone who would have attacked the Emperor and threatened him before didn't stand a chance.

Now, alone again, Shira began to ponder the implications of the offer which was something she thought would get easier with time. In truth, now that she began considering it once more, it was even harder than the first time she considered it. Within five years since their first meeting and their attempts to be normal human women, Shira had grown more accustomed to viewing Arden as a mother figure. Whenever she was not around the other students, Arden and Shira had done their best to satisfy their more feminine impulses such as shopping and telling jokes about men.

And in those five years of service, they had shared more stories from their past lives than they had in the first month of their meeting. But as was expected to have happened, nothing was the same after their first attempt to be normal human women, the service had hardened them both. However, there was something else that Shira noticed in Arden, something a little more subtle than that. As time slowly drifted by, she noticed that the woman she called mother was starting to wither away inside.

As she day passed, it seemed as though Arden was becoming less inclined to serve the Empire and more inclined to serve her own aims, perhaps even rebel against the Emperor. And if she was aiming for that and the Emperor found out, would Shira be asked to stop her along with the others? Would she be able to turn on the closest thing to a mother she had ever had in her life solely because her affiliation and her loyalty didn't lie with the Emperor? Or would she forsake all her dreams and all she had worked for to save her from the wrath of the man who overruled them all others in the Empire?

Once again, thinking about becoming the Emperor's Hand stirred these sorts of thoughts within her and these thoughts stirred her eyes to tears. She just couldn't find it in her heart to say yes or no to the offer without revealing it to Arden and that was not something she wanted to do either. Despite the motherly affection she had towards Shira, Arden did sometimes get a little ill-tempered and jealous. Additionally in this case, she'd be right to do so since she thought she was the only one with this rank for five years.

One of the worst things about it was that Shira suspected that by now, she must surely not be the only one who had the offer extended to her, it just wasn't how the Emperor worked. He had surely extended it to people more inclined to take it than she was, all of who had certainly grabbed it. Shaking her head to get her focus back on to the subject of telling Arden, Shira decided that it was best to do it. She didn't care what the Emperor said about familial bonds like hers with Arden Lyn, she had to inform Arden of this revelation... the time had come.

**Arden Lyn was meditating** for the first time in fourteen months, the longest she had gone without some kind of nourishment thanks to her long hibernation periods. Already, she had been meditating for nearly an hour and a half when she sensed a disturbance like none she had sensed before. It surrounded Shira, her Little Wolf, and from the look of it she was conflicted and sad with paining her inside. Soon after sensing this, Little Wolf arrived and she told her to enter when she knocked on her door lightly.

"Mama Bear, I have to talk to you about something. Something I've been meaning to tell you for years now but have only recently worked up the courage to tell you," Shira said immediately. "Well, I am certainly glad that you got to the point as to what was bothering you," Arden said smiling. "Yes but I don't think you're going to like what I have to say as it concerns the Emperor," Shira replied.

"I'm listening," Arden said. She had never liked the Emperor in all her years of service but she had had to believe that he would complete his offer in return for her service. "Five years ago, before you returned from killing Hermione Astin, Lord Vader came to me and extended an offer from the Emperor. The offer... was to become an Emperor's Hand like you," Shira said, wasting no time at all.

"And you never told me this because?" Arden asked. "Because I feared what you would do to me if I told you and what it would mean for the dreams I still have. The dreams that involve serving the Emperor... look Arden, I love you as the mother I never had and I wouldn't want to hurt-!" Shira said. "Say no more Shira: it isn't your fault that I allowed the Emperor and Lord Vader to use me as their toy all these years, it's mine," Arden replied.

"So you aren't mad with me?" Shira asked, beggingly. "Of course not, Little Wolf. If you want to take his offer, go for it; just understand that I have been planning to phase out anyway," Arden said. "What do you mean?" Shira inquired.

"Over the years of my servitude to the Emperor, I have slowly come to realize that he is slippery as a snake and would never complete his end of the offer that enticed me to him. Initially, I called him out on a bluff but when he said that he could and had resurrected the dead, I was hooked. I had hoped that he would resurrect my husband Xendor, I foolishly let him play with my love for that man. Now, he means to use the rank he bestowed me to turn you against me but it won't work," Arden explained.

Shira sighed a heavy sigh of relief and Arden placed a hand on her face, telling her not to worry. "If you truly wish to be this close in servitude to the Emperor, I understand. As far as I can tell from the stories of your life, you don't have anywhere else to go anyway," she added. "Thank you Mama Bear but tell me, what are you going to do now that you know what I've told you?" Shira asked.

"I'll not say a word of it to the Emperor or to Lord Vader that's for sure. He'll think I'll be complying and since the Death Star was destroyed six months ago, he needs people to hunt Rebels. Especially the boy who destroyed the Death Star, the one called Skywalker I might add. I'll use whatever power he gives me when I offer my resources to finding him to go rogue," Arden answered.

"He wouldn't have the damnedest clue and would assume you failed, I like it. Definitely is far more cunning than going to him in a storm," Shira admitted. "And far more likely to succeed in its intent," Arden agreed. "Then May the Force be with you Mama Bear, I will miss you," Shira stated.

The two women embraced, knowing this was probably going to be the last time they would see each other. Arden told Shira that she notify the Emperor that she agreed to his offer, if it was still open, and leave her to pack up what few provisions she had for her subtle departure. "Yes I should, thank you for everything Arden," Shira stated. "Hey, before you go, I want you to have something to remember me by," Arden said.

Before Shira could ask what it was, Arden took out an amulet that she had bought in one of the shopping sprees and handed it to Arden. It was a chain necklace with a large ruby-like jewel as the main attraction and looked beautiful on Shira even after her extensive damage during the Yavin 4 battle. "Remember me through this, remember the good times we had and the missions that we underwent. Never lose sight of who you are and always know that if ever I were to have children of my own, I would want them to be like you," Arden said.

Shira surprised her old Mistress with one last hug before heading off to inform the Emperor of her acceptance of his offer. Arden watched as she left and in some ways, felt like it was watching a real daughter born of her blood walk off into the unknown. I doubt I'll ever meet another like her before I die Arden thought silently. Returning to her sparring sessions, she decided to practice the Variant of Anger for the first time in a long while; she'd need it if she was going to go rogue on her pupils.

Two and a half years later...

"There is a great disturbance in the Force," Emperor Palpatine stated. "I have felt it," Lord Vader admitted. "We have a new enemy: the young rebel who destroyed the Death Star. I have no doubt that this boy is the offspring of Anakin Skywalker," Palpatine said. And it was true: for days, he had been trying to decipher how it was possible for one Rebel pilot to destroy the Death Star.

In the end, due to all the other pilots perishing during the battle, he concluded that it was because the boy was gifted with the Force. But even then, he observed that the only person with capabilities remotely as great as that feat was Lord Vader himself. "How is this possible?" Lord Vader asked. "Search your feelings Lord Vader, you will know it to be true. He could destroy us," Palpatine answered.

This was no lie, Palpatine had done the same in his own attempts to decipher the possibilities as to how such a boy could have done it. "He's just a boy, Obi-Wan can no longer help him," Vader replied. _So he did receive training for the late Obi-Wan Kenobi. That may also explain why he had such abilities in the Force_ Palpatine thought but didn't say as he continued.

"The Force is strong with him, the son of Skywalker mustn't become a Jedi," he warned aloud. "If he could be turned, he could become a powerful ally," Vader suggested. _Hmm, two Skywalkers if Vader succeeds and returns alive but one if he succeeds and doesn't. Either way, I emerge victorious in fully destroying the Jedi Order should Luke succum_b Palpatine observed gleefully.

"Yes, yes, he would be a great asset. Can it be done?" he asked. He needed to know for certain if he could be done: if Luke didn't fall but Vader perished, he would surely lose out. "He will join us or die, Master," Vader answered before cutting transmission. _It does not matter in the end, there are only a couple ways I could lose on something as grand as this_ Palpatine said to himself.

"Does one of them include me bringing the young pilot Skywalker to you before Vader can?" a familiar voice asked. Sidious turned to see Arden Lyn and was surprised that she had peered into his thoughts and voiced them aloud. "No Arden, I don't see how that would be one of them," he replied. "Then let me have a chance to corrupt Skywalker, unlike Vader I know how to delve deep into the inner conflict of someone in order to destroy them from within," she suggested.

The Emperor knew there was no lie in this statement, bold as it was for indeed, she did have to learn that early on in her career as his Hand. "And if I say yes?" he asked, suspicious of her sudden inclination to do this. "Then I will never rest or return until I have corrupted him or I have his head," she answered. "And if I say no?" he inquired.

"I'm a patient woman and I'm very persuasive too, you will break and say yes even if you say no now," she explained. This response humored Sidious and triggered one of his famous cackles of joy at hearing the sadism in her warning. "Very well then, I permit you to hunt Skywalker on my behalf but be careful of Lord Vader while you're at it," he said. _I should have the other Hands do this similar thing as well_ he thought but didn't say aloud.

"I will return, Master," she said with a bow, turning to leave after that. But before reaching the exit, she stopped and asked him a question that completely off guard. "You never intended to complete your end of our original bargain, did you?" she asked. He had not anticipated this question but he should have expected her to have had doubts after peering into his thoughts as she had on her entry.

Because she could very easily gaze into his mind and there was no getting around it anyway, he decided the best thing to do was be honest with her. Honesty was such a hated virtue amongst the Sith, it always undid them with its bright burning light more than the Death Star could ever destroy a planet. "Guilty as charged," he said, spitting every single word out like poison. "Just as I thought but no matter, maybe I can persuade you after I bring the boy's head to you or something like that," she retorted.

And then, just as stealthily and speedily as she had appeared, she was gone once more. He was getting used to these subtle entrances and exits but he doubted he would be seeing the former again. Not after what he had just confessed to her about not aiming to complete his end of their bargain, that she would serve him in exchange for the resurrection of Xendor at the end of the service. In fact, when he was forced to reveal it, he suspected that she had also seen his original intent: to destroy her instead.

Seven and a half years had gone by since the day that he had originally recruited her and he was glad that she had not recognized his deception until now. In that time, Arden had taken out several rogue Jedi, governors conspiring against the Empires, and assassins that had turned on the Emperor. She had not had contact with Shira Brie or any of her pupils in three years since their full graduation and their reassignment to other locations. Still, even now that all this was under her belt and his, he had the feeling that he could have used her powers for so much more when it seemed he wouldn't.

But it was too late to change anything that she had done under him and if she did go rogue now, she had been most useful. Perhaps, this was better and then perhaps not, the will of the Force was the only thing that would reveal that to him for certain. "Now where were we?" he asked Xizor, the Falleen leader of Black Sun, when he reappeared from the shadows. At first, Xizor made to inform him of something concerning Arden Lyn but then he kept his mouth shut and they proceeded with business.

**Admiral Zaarin was almost** ready for his ultimate goal, the TIE fighter models turning out better than ever he had imagined. His son, Paris, helped him sometimes but the younger man preferred to groom his shoulder-length black hair and bed beautiful women than help his old man with ships. Brilliant as he was, Demetrius had to admit that he was somewhat disappointed in Paris' personal preferences. Not that he was any different when he was in his teenage years but he had grown past it by the time he turned twenty-two, Paris was almost thirty and still preferred it over engineering new weapons.

Nonetheless, he knew he could count on Paris to side with him once he was ready for his ultimate goal: dethroning Palpatine and destroying Vader in the process. At most, he would only need to wait another six months or so then he would strike with vengeance and fury against his enemies. And he had just the targets for that job to be pulled off as well, all of them major and essential to the Empire. But still, even with this, he felt like something was missing and it was something that he knew would be vital for the defeat of the Emperor: a Force-sensitive whose power was at least on par with him.

Few could ever hope to best the Emperor and all of them were already under his service to the best of Zaarin's knowledge. "Send for Paris, I think I need him to find a certain someone that he would be capable of seducing to my cause," Demetrius asked one of his subordinates. "Is that really wise, Admiral? Asking your son to use his viper charm to persuade a Force-sensitive to join us?" the subordinate asked.

"If we're going to fight the Emperor, we need someone who can counter his silly Force magic with more of it. Have him fetch me any in Palpatine's service who goes rogue as soon as it is revealed," Zaarin answered. "Yes Admiral, shall I follow the news on attacks concerning Force-sensitives?" the subordinate inquired. "Do that, it's the only way we'll know for certain about anything," Zaarin ordered with a nod.

The subordinate bowed and made to obey his orders as well as have his son ready to use that viper tongue of his to charm them into service. What he wondered though was what would happen if the Force-sensitive he needed turned out to be a man? Would his son be able to improvise around it after so much practice with women or would he discomfort the warrior to the point of appearing gay? Only time and possibly the will of the Force, ludicrous as such a thing sounded to him, would tell.

Arden had set her destination for Tython in her own personal shuttle but not before sensing Hoar boarding with her. It had been a while since one of her students had accompanied her anywhere and the last one to do so had been Shira Brie, eight months ago. Since then, the girl had become busy as a Shadow Hand of Vader and a Hand of the Emperor himself. "What brings you back into my fold, Hoar?" Arden asked immediately.

"I know what you intend to do, I overheard your conversation with Palpatine. But I'm not here to stop you, I'm here to come with you if you would have me," he answered. "What happened with traveling with Thok?" she inquired. "I don't owe a life-debt to him as I do with you and besides, he went splitsville after he took an offer made to him by Jabba the Hutt and Palpatine approved," he said.

_Figures that Pigman would leave me at the first chance he would obtain with the Emperor's stamp_ she thought. "And the other students?" she continued. "You know as well as I do what happened to them: they went to serve Vader and the Emperor like Shira Brie did. If not that, either they've defected to the Rebels or else have been killed in the line of duty since Yavin 4," he replied.

Shrugging, she had to admit that he was right and that she wasn't surprised if that was what had happened to most of her other students. "If you already know my intent then you should know that if you follow me, there's no turning back," she warned. "Trust me woman, if I wanted to stay and help fommel the Emperor's balls any longer like Vader then I'd have cleared that with you first," he retorted. Laughing lightly, Arden had to admit that she knew that to be true about the disgraced Tusken Raider that followed her everywhere whenever he could.

"In that case, strap in and prepare for lightspeed the moment we're cleared out of this spaceport. We'll be headed to Bunduki first where I've got some old business to settle first and then to Tython, ancient home of the Jedi," she said after silence. "Going back to the home of the Palawa priests to settle your old scores with them, I take it?" he asked. "You know me all too well, Sand Person," she answered with a smile.

"Good, now that means I get some real killing which I haven't gotten since that mission we did for the Prophets against the splinter group of Followers of Palawa," he stated. "Don't get me started on any of our old missions, the nostalgia is distracting," she replied. Chuckling, he admitted that she might be right in that point and made sure that Arden had said all her goodbyes to everyone she could. "I could only reach Shira and she had to leave for a mission as a Shadow Hand soon after that," she said.

"Then what are you waiting for? Take off already!" he exclaimed. And that was just what Arden did after taking one last look around her, soaking in the sights of the Imperial life that was hers once. However, Arden found that she was right about nostalgia becoming distracting to her ability to break off the chains that bound her life. Had it already been so long since she had awoken from the meditation that she had gone to in her grief for Depa and even longer since she had helplessly watched her die?

Shaking her head, she prepared the ship for hyperspace and watched as the stars illuminated the entirety of the glass port with bright white light. Hoar sat back and even began to sleep while she traveled which she found extremely interesting considering that she had never seen him sleep anywhere. She herself had never fully slept since she had awoken from her first hibernation and frankly, she had never really needed to sleep as much as normal people did. Meditation had supplemented her whenever she needed rest but she just found it very funny that she had never really needed it.

This was especially true since the vision of the man with black hair and the girl that looked like Arden herself had been growing stronger with the years that had come, indicating occurrence to come.


	30. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

For years, the Followers of Palawa had been troubling the Dark Jedi named Yun especially since their refusal to teach him Terras Kasi. His father had also been disappointed by this development and approved the motion for his son to take a few squads of stormtroopers to teach them a lesson. The lesson, they hoped would be one that made them understanding that no one denied Yun or his father. Unfortunately, the old man had not lived to see his son attempt their revenge for Yun had been asked to sacrifice him as a price to pay for the Dark Side by his love: the Prophetess Sariss.

But sacrificing aside, he smiled because he knew that even if he had been the one to kill him, his father would have been pleased to see his revenge against the Palawa fulfilled after many long years. When he arrived, as anticipated, an emissary of the priests was there with his own squads to intercept the Dark Jedi right at the gates of the Palawa fortress on Bunduki. "I have come back with armed forces, as I promised I would, and I warn the priests of Palawa one last time. Either permit me training in the martial arts known as Terras Kasi or prepared to be destroyed," Yun warned threateningly.

The emissary looked somewhat intimidated though his troops pulled that off better than he did. He raised a hand to demand their silence and thought about how he would reply to the threat made by the Dark Jedi. Then he replied, knowing what the priests would say to him if they had been here in his place to face down the young man. "And I tell _you_ one last time that the priests' orders are official and cannot be changed: you will never receive training so long as they command it," he said.

"Very well, tell the masters to prepare for their fortress to be stormed within the next two standard hours or so. I will have my revenge for the dishonor they have done me by refusing to grant me training," Yun replied. "The priests do not fear your vengeance, they only pity that you are little more than a spoiled brat in a man's body," the emissary retorted before marching back to the fortress. Yun laughed at the comment about being spoiled and he had to admit that he had been indulged by his father.

Soon, the fight for vengeance would be on though and the comment of a single messenger of the priests. "Sir, with due respect, shouldn't we bring in another Dark Jedi like maybe Sariss or her Master Jerec to aid us in this matter?" the lieutenant with him asked. "This is my personal matter and mine alone to resolve, Jerec and Sariss would not aid me even if I begged on my knees," Yun answered.

_Besides that, Sariss would never forgive me for asking for her help on the matter anyway. And boy would Jerec hate me if I asked him to help me in this mission as well_ Yun added to himself. The lieutenant nodded though he probably still didn't see why Yun couldn't call on them for help even after the boy's explanation. He didn't need to at any rate, all he needed to do was follow orders as was his job to do in these sorts of situations.

**Arden Lyn had come** to Bunduki to make her statement, that she had had enough of Palpatine and was going to go rogue in accordance to that attitude. Arriving at a moat entrance to the fortress of the Palawa, she was surprised to see that the tunnels hadn't changed since last she went through them. Nonetheless, she had a feeling that the Followers of Palawa would sense her presence when she came closer to finding their leaders who had betrayed her all those years ago. Most Palawa were Force-attuned at least to the extent that they could wield some of the basic abilities anyhow.

Few, the priests being amongst them, could wield any arcane abilities and that was not a problem for Arden Lyn. In fact, it was an advantage that she would be exploiting in her quest to gain revenge against the Followers of Palawa and her declaration of defection from the Galactic Empire. Smiling, she was glad that she had received the training she required to be a Jedi Sentinel before arriving to the Temple though her more powerful abilities wouldn't be granted until she discovered Bogan. _Xendor, I promise that the Followers of Palawa will pay for their betrayal of you and me at long last_ she vowed silently as the first disciples began making their way in her direction.

"Step aside or be struck down, pawns of the Priests of Palawa," Arden warned when they positioned themselves for a fight. "We cannot let you anywhere near the priests woman unless there's a good reason why you're coming," one of them warned. "The priests you served betrayed me and my husband, long ago by giving the locations of our bases to the Jedi for money. Do not lecture me about having a good reason to see them, I am here to wipe them away from the galaxy forever," she said.

"Whoever you are, we will have to fight you now that we know you are a threat," the lead student replied. Arden dispatched him with ease by shooting a projectile of Force energy from her mechanical hand, powerful enough to blast a hole that almost spanned the side-side width of his chest. Then she turned to the other students that attacked her and cut one down with one of her sabers after dodging a punch she threw at her. She concluded her attack on another student who tried to roundhouse kick her only to have his leg severed before she decapitated him.

After that, she was virtually unopposed throughout the rest of the moats though she knew that that luck wouldn't remain for long. But she never guessed what lied ahead: Imperial stormtroopers attacking the disciples of the Followers of Palawa as they tried to defend against it. Despite their applications of Force barrier and Tutaminis, however, their defenses were broken with ease. The martial arts was all they had and though they killed several stormtroopers, none would survive much longer.

But when both sides saw Arden Lyn enter the fray, neither knew what to expect her to do. However, Arden did and showed as such when she withdrew both lightsabers and attacked both sides of soldiers. "Mayday, mayday, Commander Yun! Come in, we're under heavy attack from the Emperor's Hand Arden Lyn, over!" a stormtrooper exclaimed.

He tried to relay another signal just in time for Arden to hack him to pieces with her blades before continuing to make her way towards the priests she had a score to settle with. But she sensed the presence of a Dark Jedi amongst the Imperials, not powerful like her but had potential nonetheless. She knew it was only a matter of time before their paths crossed and she hoped to spare him, not kill him. After all, despite her inability to be bound by the Jedi Code, it was dishonorable to her to kill someone weaker than herself if she could avoid it especially like this gentleman she sensed approaching.

_Still, if it's a whooping he wants then I'll be glad to give him one when he faces me in combat_ she added to herself silently. She kept attacking disciples and stormtroopers until it became clear that she would not be associated with either one of them. Then she decided to turn her attention to her true targets, the Priests that commanded the Followers of Palawa and the subject of her revenge. Using the Force to sense them out, she found that she needed to go to the same place that she had gone before to seek an audience with them: the top of the citadel's tallest tower in the center of the fortress.

**"Yun has returned** with vengeance just as he promised he would," the emissary said when he finally arrived to see his Masters. Ten priests there were in all with their nominated seconds who would take their places upon their deaths and the emissary's words disturbed them all. "That does not surprise me," Jupiter, the most ancient and leader of the Council, stated tonelessly. The emissary gave him a look of confusion but before he could explain, the Force sent an excruciating dagger of pain into his heart.

When the pain subsided, he revealed what it was that had triggered the pain within his ancient heart. "I sense a presence as ancient as myself, a presence that I have not felt since the days of... the Legions of Lettow," he explained. The rest of the council began murmuring and whispering its surprise right away but Jupiter raised a hand for silence. "This darkness that approaches is one we created with our actions, twenty-five thousand years ago when I was young," Jupiter said.

The emissary didn't need to ask how he had survived since the days of the Legions of Lettow: every twenty years that a priest lived, he would conduct a one-thousand year long trance. Their selected seconds would act as their mouthpieces, peering into their minds to deliver their will to others. However, the flaw with this is that the seconds could not be stopped from such heinous acts as taking bribes. Jupiter had been under one such trance when the Legions of Lettow first formed and thus, his second was consulted by the leaders of the Legions.

Though the leaders didn't know, it had been the seconds and not the priests themselves who had accepted the bribes but it was too late to change that now. Remembering this made Jupiter drift off into deep thought but he was soon called back to the present which was needed due to his ancient age. "Master, what is this darkness that you speak of and how is it possible that it could have returned from those ancient days to threaten us now?" the emissary asked. "Arden Lyn has returned," he answered, whispering with great sorrow and fear in his voice.

No one needed to ask who Arden Lyn was for everyone knew her tragic story and knew what had happened to her around the time of her supposed death. After all, the seconds of the Priests around that time were partly responsible for what had happened to her in those long forgotten days of legends. In addition, the priests awoke five-hundred years later to make sure that Arden Lyn's tomb was protected from unworthy intruders as compensation for what had happened. Several rogue Jedi had sought the treasures of the Legions of Lettow afterwards but the Palawan traps deterred or kill them all.

"What do we do? Surely it is not too late to reason with her and make her understand that the actions of our seconds were not the faults of the priests," one young priest suggested. Several of the younger priests turned to Jupiter to see what he would say to that seemingly wise suggestion. What he said, however, would baffle them all and even put fear into many of the younger ones.

"No, young one. We betrayed Arden Lyn and her husband Xendor with the actions of our seconds and now we must pay. Arden Lyn will not be persuaded or reasoned with for her vengeance, her pain are both far beyond reasoning now," he answered. "But surely we can't just let her kill us willingly!" a priest exclaimed suddenly.

"We will fight, that's what she would want us to do: to put on an honorable display even if in the end, we accept the consequence of our actions against her," Jupiter replied. No priest or second had anything to say, even the emissary was troubled by this development revealed by Jupiter. "But there is something one thing that we can do: save our seconds and have only priests fight," Jupiter added. Not one priest hesitated to begin that process and the emissary was immediately dismissed to fight for them.

**Yun sensed the presence** of Arden Lyn and when a stormtrooper's transmission to him confirmed she was there, he immediately clipped his lightsaber to follow her. The report had been that Arden was attacking the stormtroopers so he would need to kill her if he couldn't subdue her first. Cutting his way through any disciple of the Followers that challenged him, he finally found her about to enter the Citadel and called out to her. "Arden Lyn, get down here and face me or suffer the brand of the traitor forevermore!" Yun shouted.

The woman turned around to see him, apparently hearing his cry which he smiled at seeing. But she surprised him when she used Force Jump to fly above the distance between them. She landed centimeters away from him and told him she would be dubbed a traitor even if she hadn't faced him. "True but at least you will be able to have some honor to go with the label if you face me in combat," Yun replied.

"I don't need a duel with you, it'd only be a waste of time. So I'm only going to knock you out of the picture quickly and then return to the task I wanted to go about doing," she said. Then she lunged with her right mechanical arm, charging Force energy into it so quick that it seemed but a blink of green. After that, she made contact by punching him with it and the impact sent him flying all the way from the Citadel to the gates of the fortress.

That was an astonishing distance of several dozen meters or so and when he landed, he did so with enough force to literally slam the gates wide open when he landed upon them. "Sir, are you alright?" his lieutenant asked upon seeing him. "Never better, new orders: destroy the fortress, burn it all to the ground and purge those within!" Yun ordered. "We have two AT-ATs nearby and four AT-STs if you would like me to bring them in," the lieutenant suggested.

"Yes bring them in, bring in all the destructive equipment you can find. The Followers of Palawa must be purged from the face of the galaxy and Arden Lyn must be destroyed for her betrayal! Bring it all down!" Yun ordered. The lieutenant nodded and went to make the rounds in order for Yun's orders for a purge to be obeyed immediately.

**After dealing with the** Dark Jedi named Yun, Arden used the Force to propel herself back to where she was before his disruption. But as she ascended the steps, she found memories racing across her mind specifically memories of when she and Xendor had first arrived here. At that time, their reason had been that the Followers of Palawa were a powerful force though not like the Jedi. However, their power was great enough to where Xendor would rather have them as an ally than as an enemy.

The reason was because while not even the full strength of the Legions would be required to destroy them, it would weaken them against the greater Jedi enemy. They needed every shred of power they could get as well as some degree of protection from the scrutiny of the Jedi. Arden had thought, as Xendor did, that the Followers of Palawa would give them that protection against their enemies. However, they had provided them with naught but treachery and defeat that was sure to be eminent for the Legions and their ideals.

Now, though, she had an opportunity to avenge the betrayal of the past and was not so innocent as to be incapable of violence in her vengeance. The best part of her vengeance, nevertheless, was that she was not about to enter the citadel unopposed by more disciples. She dispatched some with energy bolts conjured from the Force and ejected out of her mechanical arm whilst Force-choking others. Those who were not trapped by either power was cut down by her lightsaber or swept away with Kinetite and Force Destruction.

Making her way up the citadel, she was temporarily rocked by the tremors of several explosions that were happening outside and around the building. She knew it was only a matter of time before the source turned its cannons on the citadel itself and hurried as best she could. Climbing up the stairs, she killed all who opposed her though she guessed they were just buying time for the priests. They would need their seconds to escape in order to continue to spread the discipline of Terras Kasi across the galaxy where Arden could not.

She would permit them this out of respect for who they were and besides, her vengeance was strictly with the priests and not the seconds who would succeed them upon their deaths. Readying her blades, she knew that the priests would most likely not talk for very long and would certainly fight her. However, with her skills in lightsaber proficiency in addition to her improved connection with the Force and her wide variety of powers combined with their likely ancient age, she knew they would surely die. Revenge was all but guaranteed for Arden Lyn, husband of Xendor the first leader of the Legions of Lettow in the First Great Jedi Schism.

**"Emperor Palpatine, may I** speak with you for a moment?" the hologram of the Dark Jedi Yun spoke. "Go ahead Yun but make it quick," Palpatine stated annoyed. He always hated speaking with the apprentice of Jerec's pupil Sariss due to his pampered, indulgent nature. Nonetheless, he sensed that Yun sincerely had something that was worth speaking to him about on emergency frequency.

"Your mighty Hand, Arden Lyn, has betrayed the Empire and has thus betrayed you in that process. I was planning on destroying the Followers of Palawa when I suddenly saw my troops being attacked by Arden Lyn as well as the disciples. One of my lieutenants notified me of this development before he was hacked down and then I tried to stop her only to have barely made it," he said bluntly. Palpatine thought to himself about this and wondered if this was why she had volunteered to search for Skywalker after his conversation with Lord Vader.

He knew that once he revealed his intention to never resurrect Xendor, she would use whatever opportunity she could find to defect. But he also knew that she would need to make a statement in order to avoid returning into his servitude at all. _Perhaps this is the statement that she intended to make and why not? She benefits by revealing her new enmity to me in addition to gaining her revenge against the priests of the Followers of Palawa_ Palpatine thought silently.

When Yun asked him for a response or even an approval to go ahead and destroy the Citadel she was traveling in after dealing with all other buildings, Palpatine did so. "Yes, go ahead and do so when you're finished. Isn't it what you were already planning to do?" he replied. Yun didn't bother to answer the question except with a bow that acknowledged the familiar cut of transmission. Sighing heavily, the Dark Lord of the Sith also known as Darth Sidious became troubled by this turn of events.

This was the first time that any powerful servant of his had betrayed him though he wasn't used to political officials turning on him if they weren't intimidated into submission. Even Lord Vader couldn't stop those people even if he gave his all to doing precisely that in the name of Palpatine. However, he had never had a servant with similar power and abilities to Lord Vader actually make a defection case. _I'll destroy you Arden Lyn, make no mistake of that. I _will_ destroy you even if it's the last thing that I do as cliche as that phrase is_ Palpatine vowed silently.

But first, he would test her powers and thus decided to call upon a man who had fought her before. Torbin was unavailable due to his death and Darys was also unavailable for reasons of dying in the confrontation with Arden Lyn. So it turned out to be that he would need Inquisitor Tremayne for the apprehension of the ancient woman though he was truthfully just a test of her skill. "Admiral Tarkin, summon High Inquisitor Tremayne to my Throne Room," he ordered into his chair's comlink.

"Yes my liege, I have sent him the memo already. He should be there within minutes or so," Tarkin replied after a few seconds. And as promised, Tremayne did arrive within a few minutes after the Grand Moff sent his summons to him. "You wished to see me, milord?" Tremayne asked upon arrival.

"Yes, the mission I have for you now is special and requires no failure on your part. My Emperor's Hand called Arden Lyn has gone rogue and made her case by killing several troops. I need you to track her down and destroy her, settling your old score with the woman in the process no doubt. Do you feel up to it?" Palpatine explained immediately.

"My liege, it will be my utmost pleasure to find and dispatch that insane hag in the name of the Empire. I will bring her head and her lightsabers to you as soon as possible or die trying!" Tremayne vowed passionately. "Very good, she was last seen in Bunduki though I have a feeling she will survive Dark Jedi Yun's attempt to destroy her there," Palpatine replied calmly. "I will follow her presence to whatever planet she happens to be on, even if it's in the foulest parts of Tatooine!" Tremayne shouted. "Then go, High Inquisitor. Avenge this betrayal and your previous dishonor," Palpatine stated.


	31. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

Arriving alas to the chamber at the top of the Citadel's tallest tower, Arden Lyn was disappointed to see very little change in this either though not surprised. Immediately, she was greeted by five priests trying to stop her with electric-tip rods, the purple bolts painful at touch. However, a wave of Force Destruction saw the deaths of these hapless youths (compared to Jupiter, her target). Three additional priests rose to take their place but Arden sensed them behind the doors that led to the chambers long before she saw them.

Using Kinetite, she brushed the doors aside and used telekinesis to make sure that each door crushed one of the members of the trio attempting to oppose her. The remaining one had his neck Force Crushed before Arden even entered the room to face Jupiter and his younger second-in-command. "Arden Lyn, it has been millennia since last we crossed paths. I am so sorry for the deeds of the past, can you ever forgive me for having let my second take the bribe that compromised our honor?" he asked.

Arden was temporarily halted in her advance by the comment of his second accepting a bribe rather than the priest himself. But suddenly, it made sense: the seconds did not feel as bound to the code as the priests themselves were and had often exerted that confidence passionately in her day. However, the second that had accepted the bribe was no longer alive and had definitely been replaced by many. "I forgive you Jupiter, do not mistaken that but your second is not here to take his punishment. Therefore, I must deliver my vengeance on the only one living today that was there to see it: you," she replied.

Jupiter nodded, accepting that even though she could sense that he was fearful of her newly improved powers. She didn't entirely blame him considering that he was substituting that treacherous second's life with his own due to the millennia that had passed since his death. "Just allow us the courtesy of an honorable fight to the death, at least," Jupiter said in reply. Arden nodded before activating her lightsabers to engage the one-ended electrostaffs of the priests she would face now. Jupiter's right-hand man, the ever-confident Nobunaga, attacked first by swinging his body in diagonally angled spins whilst positioning his staff accordingly in an attempt to use it somewhat like a sword.

Arden fended this off whilst also deflecting Jupiter's own head-on attack with an overhead stroke. After several moments of crossing weapons with both of them, Arden broke off the hold and began to slowly back up especially after the cannons she had felt earlier were shooting at the Citadel. Jupiter was first to return with an aggressive barrage that she fended off with relative ease before attempting to stab at him with the green blade of one of her sabers. Unfortunately, this left her open to a wide variety of attacks from the flank which Nobunaga was quick to exploit when he could.

In a matter of seconds, Arden was hit with enough force to send her flying just by Nobunaga ramming himself into her side. _Damn, even in in old age, Nobunaga still packs an excellent punch. I guess this kind of shape is one benefit of being a true master of Terras Kasi_ she thought quietly. However, it took her only split seconds more to figure out a strategy to counter this and save herself from a massive fall to the base of the Citadel.

Desiring to continue the duel and escape the shooting of Imperial cannons, Arden used the Force to pull Jupiter and Nobunaga down to the base with her. Using telekinesis, she slowed her fall so that she could literally glide down most of the several thousand meters she would have to fall. Undoubtedly, Jupiter and Nobunaga had figured out to do the same thing as soon as they were also falling and all three glided to the stairs of the base. When they finally landed several minutes later, Nobunaga was once again first to attack despite missing and having to defend.

However, Arden found herself pinned in a crossing between Nobunaga and old Jupiter who had come in from the opposite side with another overhead stroke. But she soon kicked him in the chin to get him off and attempted to hack him down with both blades overhead. Placing the blade on her right hand over her shoulder, she blocked another attack from Nobunaga and elbowed his face with her free arm. Jupiter tried to kick her in the face by swinging his legs into the air though Arden dodged this by simply leaning back far enough for him to miss before propelling herself into a forward backflip.

After righting herself unto her feet, she turned her focus to Jupiter who she hoped would make the next attack as he had before. However, Nobunaga leapt over her and she watched where this was going long enough for Jupiter to try and ambush her. But she swatted his staff aside and dodged a punch in such a manner that she was able to kick Nobunaga several meters away from her before he attacked. However, Arden knew that they were trying to weaken her so that they could easily bludgeon and electrocute her to death at their leisure for it was their style sometimes when facing an opponent.

So she decided to end this duel quick by reducing the number of opposing contestants a little further than it already had been by first Force-Pushing Jupiter aside. The result was Jupiter flying up the rest of the stairs above them and rolling a little ways out of the picture before Nobunaga rose back up. Bravely, he tried to cover the ground between him and her but she jumped out of the way just in time for him to miss when he tried swinging at her legs. His stupidity began to show, however, when he tried several swatting strokes that she easily deflected or repelled with her lightsabers.

Then she went full-offensive and Nobunaga's age was most prominent here as he could not call Force Valor in time to neutralize her application of it. As a result, she was able to suppress his own and continue to bombard him with Force-fueled spins, twirls, and slashes from her lightsabers. It all came to an end when he decided to use Jupiter's specialty of overhead strokes only to be placed into Stasis. The seconds that Arden had after using the Force to place him there were used to impale him in the chest with both of her lightsabers before throwing him aside with the a burst of telekinesis.

Jupiter recovered in time to see what happened and Arden watched as he called Nobunaga's staff into his free hand and used a primitive version of Arden's Jar'Kai against her. However, the ferocity of the attack was so shocking that he actually managed to disarm her of her sabers. Despite this, Arden was not helpless and disarmed him with her own application of Terras Kasi to equal him. Jupiter made no attempt to retrieve his weapons, realizing that there was no honor in doing so when she was unarmed unless he allowed her to also retrieve her weapons which he didn't want.

Immediately, he fought with the agility to be expected of the Variant of the Snake though Arden was quick to counter this with the defense of the Variant of the Assassin. At the first opening, she quickly switched into the Variant of the Rancor long enough to break two ribs with one punch. That severe blow forced Jupiter to stagger several paces back and recover his breath before readying again. Here, Arden decided to switch into the Variant of Anger and show him where her true prowess in Terras Kasi lied.

In a series of kicks and furious punches, she forced him to give several meters of ground to her even with his masterful application of the Variant of the Assassin's defensive capacity. Then he surprised her with something she had not seen before even in the Variant of Anger and her mastery of it. It was a series of chops and swings of his arms that ripped through her offensive and allowed him to hit her. Landing the palm of his hand on the middle space between her breasts, she was forced to back down a little and recover her breath as he had been forced to do earlier thanks to her.

"The last time I faced the Variant of Anger was against your husband Xendor. In him, I saw the dangers of allowing a master of the technique to ravage the galaxy unchecked and developed a contrast. Allow me to introduce what I call the 'Variant of Serenity', the direct counter to the Variant of Anger," he said. When he exercised the technique, she initially fell back onto the Variant of the Assassin before going full defensive with the Variant of the Absorber.

Absorbing as many of his blows as possible, hence the name, and dodging the kicks that she couldn't allowed Arden to discover the secrets behind his technique. He called the Variant of Serenity because it required a calm, rational mind to properly wield it, a worthy contrast to her favorite Variant. However, she also observed that it was a combination of the Variant of the Snake with the agility and endurance as well as the Variant of the Rancor for strength and power to complete the offensive side. But she also observed, whenever she struck back occasionally, that he had traded all this offensive for only the defensive capacity of the Variant of the Assassin should he be forced to fall back on it.

She knew these techniques and knew that the Variant of Anger was the same combination with only one difference: the Variant of Anger had no defensive technique but it did have relentlessness. In addition, it had far more endurance and required the strength of one's anger in order to be wielded. If Arden's anger was stronger than Jupiter's serenity, she could easily destroy his rationale and kill him. She also remembered that she had the advantage of amplifying the strength of her punches on her mechanical arm through the Force and vowed to do just that.

Giving into the full depth of her anger with a manner of seconds, she resumed her attack with the Variant named for it. So overwhelming and furious was this renewed vengeance that Jupiter's defenses proved inadequate as she managed to punch him in the breastbone with her artificial arm. The impact nearly shattered the bone though it did rupture a lung and force him to gasp for air even as he fought. Additionally, he was sent flying several paces back and slid on his back when he landed on his backside after the flight.

He barely managed to arise quick enough to counter her but he stopped to ask her what it was that gave her this strength. "The Variant of Anger, like any other, has it's name for a reason: in order to master it, one must delve into the more murderous part of their psyche. They must become as angry as a carnivorous mothering animal protecting her young or worse if they can in order to use it. That is why a true master is angry to the point of gnashing their teeth but enough talk, I must kill you now," she replied.

Jupiter tried to use the Variant's only contrast against her and was effective only in putting up a fight and not forcing her to give ground as it had earlier when she was forced only to defend. It seemed to him as though her calculating, observing mind had paid off more in the long run than it hadn't for her. _No, impossible: the Variant of Serenity has always been able to defeat the Variant of Anger!_ he exclaimed to himself quietly. "How could you possibly use the Variant of Anger to counter the Variant of Serenity so well!?" he demanded aloud.

"You fought Xendor, a man with little to no anger when he used it against you. He relied on the Talisman to give him the power that he eventually mustered up to beat you. I, on the other hand, don't have that handicap when using it thanks to your corrupted second's actions and the Jedi," she replied. Then she continued to bombard him with a punishing attack that he could only fend off when he used the cortosis gauntlets that gave his stature away to others in the Followers and some rogues like Arden.

But it wasn't long before Arden thought of yet another idea that would spell certain doom to his ability to use the gauntlets as a defense. Amplifying her mechanical hand with as much power as possible, the glow of green light incredibly bright as it did so, she launched to punch him in the face. However, it was meant to bring his gauntlets up to his face so that when the punch collided with them, they would be shattered into millions of tiny, harmless pieces on the ground which made him vulnerable. From here, his serenity began to melt away and expose the fearful little man that was inside and had been living deep within Jupiter's heart for the eons he had cheated death.

As he tried his best to defend himself and fight Arden by switching over the other Variants, his fear of actually losing in fair combat mounted. Arden exploited this and sent strong punches to his chest, stomach and face whilst roundhouse kicking his jaw once or twice. The blows took their toll and Jupiter began to slow down significantly though he was still able to continue the fight like she hoped. All around them, the fortress of the Palawa was being destroyed with the towers of the Citadel having finally fallen.

It was only a matter of time before the base of the structure imploded and melted into the earth around it at which point, Arden would need to run like hell. So she finished up the duel by punching him the chest, lungs, kidneys, and even made one to his nose with her mechanical hand. She knew that he could endure the first three but these were merely distractions meant to set him up for the fourth. For when Arden hit his nose, she did so in such a manner that a shard of the cartilage stabbed into his brain.

She knew she succeeded when blood started flowing from his nostrils and down into his mouth in the very manner that signified shattered cartilage hemorrhaging his brain. But the death was not as instantaneous as she would have liked though nonetheless, it came very swiftly. "How... how is this possible?" he said. Then he fell on his face, having drawn his last breath on the lack of understanding as to how Arden had perfected the Variant of Anger's root concept.

In truth, Arden had very little understanding of how she was able to do it as well though she knew how to do it. Calling her lightsabers back to her before they were lost in the rubble, she thought about this revelation as she began running for her life in time for the citadel to rapidly melt down. Hoar was waiting for her in the city's tavern unless the Imperials drove him out but she doubted that highly. After all, they hadn't even known she was there until she revealed herself to them and there was no way that they would know Hoar was with her just by seeing her there.

Nonetheless, the young Dark Jedi who had been thrown aside knew she would have survived this destruction and would be on the run now. Any rogue who had done what she had done would most certainly have doomed themselves to Imperial scrutiny forever. She knew the Emperor would not rest until he had seen to it that she was destroyed but what she didn't know was that luck would be with her. For aside from Yun, there were others that had seen what Arden had done and were more than willing to take full advantage of the opening it gave them.

**Paris Zaarin, son of** Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin, hadn't been on Bunduki very long when the Imperials engaged the Followers of Palawa with intent to destroy them all. However, he became really interested once he heard a broadcast that stated the arrival of the Emperor's Hand Arden Lyn. The reason he had become so interested because the broadcast stated that she was attacking Imperial troopers in simultaneity to disciples of the Followers of Palawa._ I think this is the defect my father is looking for_ Paris thought to himself just before exiting his hotel room.

He knew that Arden was usually associated with at least one of her students, the most frequent being a Tusken Raider named Hoar and a Gamorrean named Thok. Of course, that was assuming she was not traveling in the company of a fellow human now known as Lumiya, another Emperor's Hand. However, as fate would have it, Paris encountered only Hoar the Tusken Raider for it seemed that he was the only one with a life-debt to Arden Lyn unlike the others.

From the grime on his clothing and the sweat stains on his mask, it would appear as though he had been out hunting disciples of the Followers and fighting many all day. Smiling, he took a seat next to Hoar after asking if the seat was taken and the Tusken shook his head in reply. "You might want to save your credits on the drinking, allow me to buy you the next few glasses," Paris offered. He tossed several dozen credits in the way of the bartender and asked for a whole bottle of Korriban fire whiskey.

"Who are you?" Hoar asked. "The son of an old friend of yours and an old friend of your Mistress especially. Paris Zaarin, son of Grand Admiral Demetrius at your service and you must be the Tusken Raider known as Hoar, right?" Paris replied as he extended a hand for shaking. Hoar took it and confirmed his identity as the pupil of Arden Lyn as well as the only one with a genuine debt to her.

"We knew Demetrius though relatively minimally, Arden scared him off her the first time the two of them met," Hoar added. "That doesn't surprise me, the old man's so easy to intimidate that I could make him wet his pants if I really wanted to. And believe me, that wasn't always the case especially when he was decades younger," Paris admitted, laughing before speaking. "Let me just be blunt on behalf of my Mistress and ask what the hell you want," Hoar said suddenly.

"Almost immediate with getting to the point, I like that in any man. Because it's not what the hell _I_ want so much as what the hell my father wants. He's been looking for a powerful Force-sensitive like your Mistress and has been waiting for precisely the defection display she must've surely given by now. If you and her are both interested, we would like you to join us in our quest to destroy the Emperor and Lord Vader," Paris explained bluntly.

Hoar thought about that as he chugged down a small cup of the whiskey despite his slowly acquired taste for it. "Don't drink that stuff down too fast, you don't want to be passing out before your Mistress returns to receive my message. This is the code to my personal frequency and if she wants face to face contact, here's the number to my room," Paris said as he wrote down both means of contact. Then he handed the small flimiplast napkin to the Tusken Raider who put it in a cleaner pocket to deliver to his Mistress after guzzling his fill on the whiskey as reward for a good and hard-fought battle.

He had collected many trophies from the fallen disciples including several scalps as well as fingers and ears that he pickled for longer preservation. The Tusken had also collected several golden and jeweled apparels to decorate his relatively plain brown robes adapted for the Tatooine dunes. His rifle had only needed to be reloaded twice and his gaffi had been allowed to do plenty of damage also. It was a good day and though he desperately desired to get drunk, he decided to first deliver the note with a comment of his own to the room he had reserved for his Mistress first before doing that.

However, before he even covered the stairs, she returned with dirt, sweat, and grime covering her entire being with some bleeding cuts on her forehead and left hand. Returning back to the first floor, he explained the purpose behind the note and told her there was no rush as far as he knew. "Excellent, that means I can wash this filth off me before I go before men like this Paris Zaarin," she replied. Smiling beneath his mask, he admitted he needed to catch up on hygiene also and walked with Arden to do it.

However, they soon departed since their rooms were separate and Arden had to admit that she had never been so relieved to see the Tusken Raider again in her years of knowing him. When the Citadel was destroyed, it began a meltdown that caused a crater which destroyed everything within. This included all the smaller fortifications the Followers had built as well as Imperial weapons of war and troopers who had failed to escape in time. Arden herself barely managed to get out through the moat exit due to being opposed by several surviving disciples of the Followers along the way.

One of them had even given her the bleeding cut on her forehead with his spear though this insolent young man didn't last very long before the Variant of Anger. Why they had opposed her rather than saved their own lives was beyond her but she did admire their bravery as a result. They chose to surrender their lives in combat against her rather than take a chance of being consumed in the meltdown. _Perhaps that was a wise choice and not as quick a death as the one I could promise any who challenged me_ Arden thought to herself as she turned on the hot water in the shower.

Wiping away the filth and cleaning the wound had never felt better in Arden's twenty-five thousand years alive, not even when she had to bathe the scars on her back and upper posterior. Still, she did somewhat wonder why this Paris Zaarin would help his father; Demetrius was weak, after all.


	32. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

Demetrius could not have been more pleased with his son when he heard the news of Arden Lyn's rather public declaration of defection from the Empire. "Just what we need to complete our coup against the Emperor but be careful. She's not likely to fall for your charm as easily as any other woman has in the past," he said. "No worries father, she's in the shower cleaning up from her battle with the priests and her escape from the destruction of their fortress," Paris replied.

_Who knows how eager he'll be to get under the towel that she'll wrap herself with after the shower. It seems as though he is too promiscuous to be controlled forever by anyone_ Demetrius thought to himself silently. Nonetheless, it was his hope that his son would not be distracted with Arden or any woman when the time came to destroy the Emperor. The last thing he needed was to have to save his son from his head being up in the clouds about some girl during the battle.

"Admiral, the designs you requested have been tested. With some luck, they'll be ready for their first battle ahead of schedule by about two months earlier or so," one of his subordinate officers stated. "Perfect, this is excellent news. We'll go ahead and go by the schedule even if they're ready in advance, I want to make sure I have the Emperor by absolute and total surprise," Demetrius said.

"Yes sir, have you found the assassin who will capture him?" the officer asked. "Why yes, my son came across a former Emperor's Hand named Arden Lyn who killed several stormtroopers. She spared their leader, Dark Jedi Yun, but made her statement of defection in the blood of Imperials. The timing in her doing so could not have been any better as far as I'm concerned," Demetrius answered.

"Perfect, let's hope she will accept your offer to join us and fight the Emperor on our behalf. I'd hate to be the one to point a pistol at a man who can reduce me to ash in seconds," the officer stated. "If anyone can persuade a woman like Arden Lyn, Paris is the one to do it as he is about to now," Demetrius agreed. "I wish him all the luck in persuading her then, I have heard she can be very stubborn," the officer said.

Demetrius dismissed him after admitting that he had heard that about her as well and the officer bowed before leaving. Once again, Demetrius was alone to think about all that was and would be for the Zaarin family. He was not without his fears when it came to taking on the Emperor and Lord Vader, failure to destroy them meant being forever pursued by relentless forces eager to get a reward. However, the worst part about that was Vice Admiral Thrawn had left Zaarin's keep to forge his own destiny which meant he could be the one ordered to pursue Zaarin if he failed and survived.

Why in the universe would even the bravest Imperial Admiral not be afraid of that possibility in his shoes? Could he really expect his son to understand that his fears had guided him well throughout his life and even saved it on more than one occasion? He highly doubted it, intelligent as his son was even compared to him and he was already one of the greater minds of the Grand Admirals. Shaking his head at this distraction, he turned his attention back to planning when to launch the coup against the Sith.

**Arriving out of the** shower, Arden immediately bandaged her forehead since it was still bleeding though not as badly as before. Grabbing the flimiplast with Paris' information, she headed for the room number that he had left on it and knocked on the door. "Come in, the door's opened to the Force if it's you, Arden," Paris said. His voice sounded like a younger and more confident version of what his father's voice was and she wondered if Demetrius had been the same way when he was young too.

But those silly questions that thought started were soon blown out of her mind when she saw Paris for the first time. _He's the man from my dream, the shoulder-length hair, that build... How is this possible_? Arden asked herself silently. He looked like he had seen her from a dream before as well and confirmed he had when he asked if she knew about the little girl and describing her.

"Formalities aside, I have come to offer you a place fighting with me and my father to destroy the Emperor. You could have your revenge for whatever insults he and Lord Sidious did to you and rescue anyone you love from the Empire," Paris added after their talk about the vision. _Could I save Shira from the clutches of the Empire?_ Arden thought but didn't say. "On a condition, if you don't mind having conditions to your bargain," she said aloud.

"Personally, I could care less as this is more my father's bargain than it is mine. I'm just the sweet talker who's supposed to reel you in," he retorted. Smiling, she continued with what she said although she was beginning to admire his attitude and looks more and more. It wasn't love at first sight, she had seen him before this in the dreams that she had had of her possible family. "I want to be permitted to bring my pupil Hoar along with me for at the moment, he's the only friend I have," she said.

"Well I certainly don't want to separate you from your only friend so with that said, you got yourself a deal. Welcome to the winning team, Arden Lyn!" he joked. _I am not so sure you and your father have what it takes to match the might of the Empire. The Rebel Alliance is their greatest opponent so far and even they struggle to stay alive_ she thought silently.

She tried to assess this man carefully and wondered why in the universe the will of the Force would decree him to be the father of a possible child. Was it because it had willed that she would move on past Xendor and find a life of peace? Could this be her big reprieve from what the years of suffering had brought upon her coming in full at last? "How long have you had the dream of me and the girl, Paris?" she asked at last.

"Most of my life, since at least my early adolescence or so. Why do you ask?" he answered. "I've had the dream for eight years since I returned from the Void of the universe on a mission for Thrawn when he was part of the Chiss Ascendancy," she explained. "So the two of you do know each other from somewhere as father believed," he stated, it wasn't a question.

"Yes, we worked together during the Clone Wars before I was frozen in suspended in animation for fifteen years. I floated in an escape pod during that time and he tried to find me to no avail, I was found by the enemy he had waged war with and held in their captivity for a couple weeks. Then I returned without a friend in the galaxy and meditated on my grief for six months before serving the Sith. Seven and a half years have passed since I agreed to serve them and now I have gone rogue on the promise that I would find the young boy called Skywalker," she confessed.

"Damn and father mentioned you going into another longer hibernation than any of the ones you've told me, is that true?" he inquired. Arden nodded and confessed that, altogether, she was more than twenty-five thousand years old with the first hibernation being the reason for such a huge gap. "I'm so sorry Arden, that explains the ring around your finger and how it is such an antique, right?" he asked. "Yes but I still wear it because it reminds me of the man I used to be married to, the man that the Emperor promised to resurrect in exchange for my service before I realized he couldn't," she answered.

"What was it like back in those days when the Republic was first forming? Was it as dangerous as the Imperials would have you believe it was?" he inquired. "For now, be satisfied that it was even more dangerous than that but I will tell you at another time. We have other matters to attend to right now, do we not?" she replied.

"We'll need to get to my father before the night's out, this hotel won't shelter us from Imperial authorities once they see Hoar is here," he agreed. "Then I'll go down and see if he's not too drunk yet but if he is, you're carrying him," she retorted. Shrugging, he agreed to be the Tusken Raider's carrier if he was passed out cold from drinking but truly hoped that he wasn't. _Maybe I'm supposed to just bang Arden and then have something really bad happen to me or something_ he thought silently.

**Hoar had been drinking** for the last twenty minutes or so but still, he felt nowhere near capable of passing out. "This is the strongest that you've got? I'm barely even nauseated, never mind unconscious!" he exclaimed. "The whiskey impairs your thoughts and cognitive ability to register feelings of any kind, sir," the bartender warned.

"Hell with it, pour me another round and make sure I still got the credits from that pretty boy human to pay for the rounds!" Hoar ordered. "I'm afraid that's not going to be the case, Hoar. We gotta go now," Arden said from behind him. "Damn it, just give me the bottle and I'll guzzle it down next time I get a chance to do so," Hoar ordered.

"That'll suck up the last of the credits the kid put in your tab," the bartender replied. "Good, I might not be coming back here for a while anyway," Hoar snapped. When the bottle was handed to him, he and his companions immediately started running from the bar and to Zaarin's shuttle. "Any great ideas for dodging Imperials if they find us before we reach your ship?" he asked Paris.

"Just a couple but they should get the job done without any concrete bloodshed," Paris answered. "Now where's the fun in that?" Hoar asked rhetorically. "If we were here for your kinda fun, I'd let you have it all but we're not so you do as I say, got it?" Paris snapped. "Yeah, yeah sure, just don't be on the wrong end of my rifle if I have to shoot something," Hoar warned.

Arden smiled at that comment, wondering if the two would ever get along or if she was going to have to make them get along. Last thing she needed was an early preparation by being mommy for two grown men of different species. "Now boys, break it up! We're not enemies here, the Imperials are the real foes; Hoar, waste your rounds on them if you have to but no more than that," she ordered.

"No worries Mistress, did you think I'd do anything else?" he asked. "Actually, yes I did," she answered. "Me too," Paris agreed. "Shut up, no one was talking to you," Arden ordered at which point he apologized.

They reached the shuttle unopposed but did have to fight to protect the shuttle though Arden dispelled a round of Kinetite to throw off the stormtroopers sent to stop them. "You enjoy using that power a little too much, don't you?" Hoar asked. "Let's just say you don't want to be on the wrong end of it unless you know how to stop it," Arden answered.

"Yeah I don't think I would," Hoar retorted with a wink beneath his mask. "My father is located over the Parmel System at his facility _Research_ though he'll soon be making his move. I shall have you two meet him there and he'll tell you what you can do to help his movement," Paris said. Then he launched them into hyperspace upon being clear of the atmosphere of Bunduki and flying in space.

**Inquisitor Tremayne arrived on** Bunduki in the hopes of finding Arden Lyn here since Palpatine had told him about her vengeance for the priests. However, the report brought in by Dark Jedi Yun indicated that she had already completed her vengeance and escaped from the planet. "You imbecile, by acting against her, you have helped her escape!" Tremayne shouted at the boy after reading a report. "Sir, I didn't even know she would be appearing on the field until she did and when I saw her attack my troopers _and_ the disciples, I had to do something," Yun replied.

"True but you could have contact Palpatine first and heard what his orders were on the matter before attacking, not the other way around. It's amazing that you are still alive though I must admit that you are under the tutelage of Prophetess Sariss for a good reason," Tremayne stated. "And what reason is that, might I ask?" Yun asked. "That you stupid, incompetent, and a spoiled little child," Tremayne hissed in reply.

Yun simply bowed to Tremayne out of respect for his superior rank and left the older man to ponder his next course of action._ Now where could a woman like Arden Lyn have gone after leaving Bunduki? She certainly would not go anywhere where her darker aura would give her away to anyone pursuing it for certain_ Tremayne thought quietly. Guessing that Hoar was a drinking type and that he would have come with Arden, he headed to the nearest bar that he could find.

Either it was the will of the Force or just excellent deduction but Tremayne found a clue that led him to her whereabouts almost immediately. "I am looking for a woman with neck-length black hair and a mechanical arm gained from a pre-Old Sith War juggernaut droid. She has a Tusken Raider in her company named Hoar who likes to drink Korriban fire whiskey, so I've been told. Would any of you happen to know where I can find such a duo of people?" he asked the customers and bartender.

"You might have met them here a couple hours ago, the Tusken was drinking my whiskey like water and even asked me to permit him to take a bottle. I don't know where they were going but I can tell you that they were in the company of a man called Paris Zaarin, does this help?" the bartender said. _Paris Zaarin... that's Demetrius' son, no doubt but what would Arden be doing with him unless he came to her with an offer from his father? What could such an offer be that Paris was sent to persuade Arden and Hoar to join them after Arden made her statement of defection?_ he thought.

Quickly switching his mechanical eye to infrared, he scanned the bartender and saw no deception in his explanation that Arden and Hoar had gone with Paris. After switching it to regular sight, he thanked the bartender and immediately marched off back to his ship whilst formulating another plan. Unless Demetrius had not yet heard the news about Arden Lyn's defection from the Empire, there was only one reason why he would want her to join his ranks: he planned to defect himself. However, despite doubting it, he was not unwilling to be wrong on either of these deductions he had made.

He was willing to accept the truth of her being an undercover agent and the Emperor ordering her to kill those troops. But it didn't explain why he had sent Tremayne to hunt her down unless he ordered him to do so to keep an eye on her. _Still, I wonder why the Emperor would need to keep an eye on an undercover agent of the Empire_ Tremayne observed as he thought about this. That was when it hit him: Demetrius Zaarin and his son did intend to defect from the Empire as Arden Lyn had.

Now it would have been just a matter of taking a hyperspace trip to the Parmel System and spying on the Zaarin family as well as Arden but that was beyond him. Subtlety was seldom ever a skill that Tremayne relied on and spying was one of the most subtle things a servant of the Empire could do. However, he did want to get at Arden somehow and decided that the best thing to do was wait for her to come to him. If Zaarin intended to ally himself with Arden, capturing or killing the Emperor would be the biggest if not the only reason why.

It was time he shared his suspicions, or possible revelations, to the Emperor and warn him against possibly imminent danger from the two of them. They were a deadly combination if they intended to defect from the Empire but this made sense to High Inquisitor Tremayne now. Demetrius was a smart man and knew that he himself could never hope to defeat Lord Vader, let alone Palpatine. So he recruited someone else to do the job for him at the first possible opportunity to do it, a brilliant strategy and it showed an example of self-awareness.

_I will find you, Arden Lyn and I will have my revenge for the injuries you had inflicted on me when we last met. Be sure of that_ he vowed silently as he boarded his shuttle. "Where to, now Inquisitor?" the pilot asked. "Imperial Center, I have confidential information for the Emperor that I believe will interest him very much," Tremayne answered in time for takeoff.

**In the seven and** a half years since beginning his expeditions back into the Unknown Regions, Vice Admiral Thrawn had been very successful. Not only had he mapped the worlds that were commanded by the Chiss Ascendancy before he personally dissolved but the Killiks were revealed too. He had also seen worlds that were neutral or conquered by other organizations that Thrawn had never known about before. As if that wasn't interesting enough, some of these organizations had been in control of their worlds for several hundred years before Thrawn arrived and destroyed them.

Conquest had never been more exciting to Thrawn but it was researching the various cultures that had remained untouched until he arrived that truly enticed him. Examining a culture allowed him the insights he needed to destroy them should they rise up against him militaristically. However, he managed to wipe out warrior races just fine if they didn't give him a chance to observe and study them. Still, nothing formed a void in his heart more than the fact that he still didn't have Arden Lyn under his wing.

True that he had had his chance twenty-three years ago during the Clone Wars but her Battle Meditation had so amazed him that he simply could not live without it under his shadow. The power to boost the morale of his armies so greatly that victory was sealed was simply to great to be ignored. Granted, it was likely that Palpatine also knew arcane ceremonies similar to Battle Meditation but he was so confident of his strategical abilities that he seldom used them if at all. Admirable but it revealed his arrogance when he did it extensively and a true sign of the pompous ways of any emperor.

"Vice Admiral, reports are coming in throughout the HoloNet News of an attack on the priests of Bunduki that included a defected Emperor's Hand. She killed several stormtroopers as well as all of the head priests of the Palawa and she injured Dark Jedi Yun in the process of killing them. They say her name is Arden Lyn and that she has joined Admiral Demetrius Zaarin's son Paris," a captain stated. "What in the universe would compel the HoloNet to do a report on the son of the Grand Admiral persuading a defective Hand, I wonder?" Thrawn asked.

He didn't need the question to be answered, he could already calculate that Demetrius and his son Paris intended to overthrow the Emperor just by that move. However, he wanted to see if his subordinate officer could figure it out for himself as well as he had done. "I would say that Zaarin did it either because he doesn't know about her defection or else has intent to defect also," the man answered. "Good, very good because it is the second one that is possible for a man like Demetrius Zaarin or his son Paris," Thrawn said.

"What do you propose to do about this?" the captain inquired. "For now, we will be patient and continue mapping the Unknown Regions of the galaxy. However, when we are called upon to destroy Zaarin's defective forces we will," Thrawn explained. "Very well sir and what of Arden Lyn?" the captain continued.

"I beg your pardon?" Thrawn asked. The question had genuinely thrown him off guard but then he remembered telling this gentleman, named Pluto, about his past experiences with Arden. It was at that point that he calmed down and was almost ready to answer before Pluto reminded him of that. "You said that you had hoped she would join you once again for fighting your enemies," he stated. "Whenever and however possible, I will do what I can to see about getting her to join me upon the repulsion of the Zaarin insurrection that is sure to come; we must let the wheels of his mind turn on him.

"For when they do, he will become incompetent and arrogant to where even his advanced technologies will not save him," Thrawn explained. "Yes sir, I see no reason why we shouldn't be patient in waiting for Zaarin's arrogant psyche to destroy itself from within. That usually is how you destroy any man on equal or greater intelligence than you, no?" Pluto asked. Chuckling, Thrawn admitted that he was guilty as charged and dismissed the captain to continue his routine duties. After he left, Thrawn returned to his signature activity: thinking and meditating on near-perfect strategies.


	33. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

Arriving to _Research_ in the Parmel System didn't have the excitement that Arden Lyn thought it would have for her or Hoar. Despite its reputation as an incredible place for technological advancement and brilliant mechanical engineering, it just didn't catch their eyes as much as they had wanted it to. "Alright everybody, my father's going to meet us in the hangar and Arden, he'd like to speak with you alone," Paris said upon getting them out of lightspeed. _The man's got merit to want to speak with me after the way our first conversation ended, I'll give him that much_ Arden thought quietly.

Hoar looked like he was suspicious of that and Arden truly didn't blame him all that much for it. "Listen Hoar: admirable as your suspicion is, it won't help us establish an alliance that can topple the Emperor. Go hang out with Paris and have him show you what the Zaarin family intends to use against the Empire while you wait for me to finish business with him," Arden told him. "Yes Mistress but if you need some skull breaking to be done, let me know," the Tusken replied menacingly.

Arden nodded her acceptance of that request and asked Paris to show him around to which the young man agreed. To the surprise of both Arden and her Tusken companion, there were two battalions of troops likely from a militia independent of the Empire flanking each of their sides. Demetrius was in the center, waiting for Arden who came at the frontmost of the trio to reach him immediately. Meanwhile, Paris escorted Hoar away with troops following the two of them on each side just like his father's escort.

"Arden Lyn, it is great to have you here in the Research at long last," Demetrius said immediately. "Dispense with the formalities and tell me whether or not you know about the statement I made in Bunduki concerning my defection," Arden replied with equal speed. "Of course, my son had hacked into the communication transmissions of the Imperials involved. He caught a memo to Dark Jedi Yun concerning you attacking stormtroopers and Palawa disciples alike and told me," he explained.

_Paris has more talent than I give that prettyboy for having, perhaps there is merit in the Force choosing to have my path intertwine with his yet_ Arden thought silently. "Then I don't suppose you realize that by speaking with me, you're committing high treason against the Emperor? Unless, of course, you're intending to defect as well there is no reason for this conversation to even happen," she said aloud. "You've a sharp and feisty mind, just like the last time we met back on Imperial Center: yes I intend to defect as well and have brought you here with good reason.

"I need someone who can take on the Emperor and capture him (if possible) though killing him is not entirely out of the question if necessary," he explained. "You want me to fight the Emperor and either capture or kill him. Can't say that I'm anything short of disappointed that you would call upon me to fight that battle for you, Demetrius," she replied. "But you are the only one who is even remotely capable: I don't have the Force and neither does my son but you've defected from the Empire like us!" he exclaimed.

"I defected because the Emperor chose not to fulfill the bargain we agreed on and even admitted he wouldn't have the power to follow through with it anyway. My anger at the fact that he would even make it in the first place was unparalleled and I defected accordingly," she said. "Indeed our reasons for defection are different but the desire remains the same. I want to rule the galaxy in their place and you want revenge against the Emperor, it works out beautifully," he stated.

"You won't give up until you get your way, will you?" she asked. "I don't have to rely on you entirely, there are plenty of Jedi eager to do away with the Emperor if given the chance. You could be left out of the loop as far as a chance at revenge is concerned," he answered menacingly. "Do not try to use blackmail on me, little man!" she hissed as she grabbed his neck with her mechanical arm.

Thrusting him against a wall whilst strangulating him, she made sure that he knew better than to blackmail her like that again. Troops gathered to try and stop her but he ordered them off for whatever strange reason he had for doing it. "Perhaps I was too hasty in my words, let me go and I will propose a better offer for you," he requested with surprising calmness in his voice. "Let's hear it," she said after letting go.

"I can offer you and Hoar lifetime benefits, no taxation of any kind for as long as you live. Hoar can spend his days drinking Korriban fire whiskey like water after a good hunt. You can spend your days in peace with him or by yourself if you decide to release him from any debts he may owe you. However, the best part is that is so simple to obtain: capture or kill the Emperor and it will all be yours along with lifetime protection from the Empire's loyalist forces," he explained.

"Lifetime protection given by you and your son? You can barely protect yourselves, what makes you think you can protect me? On top of that, do you really think it's as simple as kill the Emperor and all the galaxy will be yours? Even if I succeed, Vader will just rise up to take his place and destroy you in the process or if not him, someone else.

"Anyone in the chain of command pertaining of Force-sensitives will be eager to make a grab and some Grand Admiral might give it a shot as well. I could very easily see you falling to Vice Admiral Thrawn and he's not even as high on the chain as you are now. It never ends Zaarin unless the galaxy is destroyed in the process and all life is lost forevermore in this Force-forsaken universe!" she replied. "Then I guess that means you aren't with us?" he asked.

_Do I really have a choice but to join this pathetic little mongrel who's hungry for power and has a son that's just as eager?_ she asked herself silently. "I will but for a price: if I kill Palpatine, I must be allowed to take over his rule in order to insure that the chain I mentioned doesn't begin. Better that the galaxy know the face behind the hands that killed him than the man who helped them there. Trust me on this, I was the leader of a growing empire myself once and it crumbled around me in almost the same fashion I spoke of after my husband (its leader) fell to Jedi blades," she answered aloud.

Demetrius looked disappointed in this revelation but she told herself that she shouldn't have expected anything else from him. Sighing, she could tell that he was stuck in a dilemma: if he accepted her terms, he would never be the heir to the Empire he wished to be. If he didn't, not only was he out one rogue Force-sensitive but if he succeeded without her, it would be only some time before he fell. Which was the lesser of two evils?... that was the question to be asked now rather than "could it be done?".

"Perhaps when he is no more, we can do a joint-rulership. I would be the military and economical face of our new operations and you would dictate the rest," he suggested rather suddenly. _Hm, I can't handle everything by myself and he does have more experience in those areas then me_ she observed quietly. "Keep that thought until after we win but for now, I will join you-I hardly have any other choice anyway," she said aloud.

"I'm glad you have agreed and you are wise to suggest that we hold onto that thought for later. Our concentration should be on the here and now where it belongs at any rate," he agreed with a nod. "Excellent, show me to my quarters please. I would like some time to meditate on our next course of action against the Emperor," she requested.

"As you wish, Arden. I will arrange for a separate chamber for Hoar as well unless you'd rather have him near you," he said. "No, give him his own place to stay. He will be needing it during his time of adjustment to a new lifestyle," she said. "As you wish, milady," he replied with a bow.

"Here are some of the latest designs that my father has engineered for the upcoming coup. Before his decision to defect and overthrow the Emperor, he was one of the most brilliant designers of military weapons ever," Paris said. "Enough, enough, I only need to know whether or not they have been field-tested and can hold against the Emperor's forces," Hoar replied. "Well of course they have been tested for effectiveness and they have passed a hundred percent," Paris stated proudly.

"Good, is there anymore I need to be toured in or can I just go to the sparring chambers you got and work on my form? Arden told me to always be ready to use my martial arts against an enemy and I'd hate to be rusted in battle," Hoar asked. "Of course, if you'll follow me this way then I'll be glad to show you where the chambers," Paris answered. The two of them initially walked in silence for a little bit but when they arrived at the sparring chambers, Paris was the first to speak up.

"Is Arden Lyn as much a hardcase as she appears to be or does she get better when you get to know her?" he asked. "She gets better with time but remember that she has had a lot on her plate. After all, she was first placed into a twenty-five thousand-year-long hibernation by Jedi. She was revived during the Clone Wars to an alien galaxy that had long forgotten her and her people forever.

"Then she placed herself into yet another hibernation to save herself from freezing to death in her escape pod in the Void of the Universe when her forces were destroyed. Fifteen years, that hibernation lasted before she awaken to watch her first apprentice be cut down by enemies. Finally, her hibernating days came to an end when she meditated for six months as grief for all that she had lost," Hoar replied. "Damn, that is truly hard and did she have anyone else that she loved during that time- another man, I mean?" Paris continued.

"One though he was slain by Jedi shortly before her first hibernation as she stood helplessly and watched it happen," Hoar admitted. "Now I feel almost ashamed that I want to get to know her better with such a history under her belt," Paris stated. "Trust me, it's nothing to be ashamed of as you think it is now," Hoar replied. "You really believe that, Hoar?" Paris inquired.

"Of course, I have been with her almost longer than any of her other students and I have seen her evolve from a confused, unknowing child of the past to the great woman you see now. There is much to her that I think you'll like when she grows to love you as you love her now," Hoar explained. Paris looked at him in surprise and Hoar admitted that he knew Paris was falling for Arden Lyn even if she didn't. "But don't worry, I'll let you tell her for yourself," he added before turning his attention to the sparring equipment he wanted to use.

Paris thought about that, wondering how a Tusken Raider who must surely be his own unique species understand the feelings of a human better than the human did himself. But he decided to find a way to take his mind off it as fast as possible and asked Hoar if he could train him in his martial arts. "Terras Kasi is not suited for everyone nor is my variant of it but I think you have the physical material for a start, at least," Hoar said. Then he ordered Paris to come close by and watch his movements carefully as he wouldn't be repeating them.

Paris did just that and soon got a hang of some of the sequences that Hoar showed him in his application of Terras Kasi's Variant of the Snake. "It is called this because it is more based on speed and agility as well as having the fluidity of a snake while the Variant of the Rancor is based on strength. You have the build of a man of agility though you are surprisingly strong nonetheless so I guess it wouldn't hurt to show you the basics of the Variant of the Rancor if you wish," Hoar explained. "You really think that I could master the two styles?" Paris asked.

"I don't know about mastering as it takes years to get one down right but if you commit your time to it, I don't see why you wouldn't become very skilled," Hoar answered. Paris smiled and asked Hoar to show him the basics of the Variant of the Rancor and that was just what the Tusken Raider did. The boy became very natural with the Variant of the Rancor though Hoar could immediately see that he was more at home with the Variant of the Snake like Hoar himself was. A little more sparring and the two then had their fill of the martial arts known as Terras Kasi, their bellies aching for food soon after.

Five and a half months later...

"It would seem as though Admiral Harkov is turning on us, Lord Vader. As if that wasn't bad enough, he is joining the Rebels for their struggle against our Empire!" Palpatine seethed. "I will deal with him immediately, milord," Vader vowed._ I disposed of Prince Xizor with relative ease, this should be no problem at all_ the Sith apprentice thought silently.

"You have already captured him and intend to destroy his fleet once you have dealt with him, I take it?" Palpatine asked. "Yes Master, all traces of his defection will be wiped cleaned from the galaxy before this is over," Vader answered. "It could be some time before his remaining ships are found again, are you willing to postpone your search for Skywalker until then?" Palpatine inquired. Vader hadn't thought about that happening although he should have guessed that it would happen soon.

His obsession for the young boy now revealed to be his son had taken an especially great height after their duel on Bespin's Cloud City. There was no way that Luke would be allowed to escape the clutches of the Emperor and his ability to ensnare while Vader was hunting him. _For now Luke, you are free from my ever-searching eyes but do not relish this freedom for too long_ Vader thought. "Yes Master, Admiral Harkov is a greater threat at the moment than the Jedi who assists the Rebel Alliance in its efforts to overthrow us," he said aloud to his Master.

"So many battles, so many victories and yet I am worried about the defeats that have come along. I really truly wish this rebellion would be destroyed now and that there was no reason for Admirals to make their defection. But I guess I can't help that now, can I?" Palpatine asked rhetorically. "I wouldn't know Master, I am not the Emperor who rules over dozens of star systems with an iron fist," Vader answered politely.

"Your time will come and you will know the responsibilities I have as well as I do now. But while you are hunting the remnants of Harkov's fleet, see what you can do about Arden Lyn. It's been six months since she disappeared from our sight, attacking the priest of Bunduki in the process of that. I've grown fearful that she may have found someone with the might to put up a good show for us all," Palpatine requested.

"As you wish, Master," Vader replied with a bow before leaving to deal with Admiral Harkov's forces. The Admiral himself had been brave and defiant in the face of his death but no match for Vader's Force Choke like many before him that had also braved the Dark Lord's fury and failed. However, he couldn't help but wonder what his Master had meant when he stated that Vader's time to rule would come. Was the old man finally on his last straws?

Vader thought about this and then remembered the way of the Sith and how the strong must always suppress the weak. Was Vader's time to suppress Palpatine and snuff his life out coming? Would he at last receive the revenge he had long awaited for the death of his beloved Padme all those years ago? It was food for thought that began to excite Vader almost as much as the thrill of chasing down young Skywalker himself.

**"You know Paris, ever** since we became friends I have to admit that I misjudged you on many things. And I misjudged you very badly, I might add," Arden said to her new lover. "Women have a way of doing that around me quite a lot, you're not the first. But I have to admit that I misjudged you as well and probably more badly than ever you could hope to misjudge me," Paris replied.

Since meeting, the two of them became excellent friends in a matter of two months and both formed attraction for one another one month after. So comfortable had Arden become with Paris-and vice versa- that Arden had even destroyed her wedding ring from Xendor and made love to Paris. Awakening from such session of sex, Arden had to admit that it was rejuvenating to finally be a young woman and not a hardened warrior of the Force for once in a great long time. With Paris, she felt like the universe melted away and she could be what she was when given a chance to relax.

However, she sensed that her ability to relax was closing and that she would soon need to become the hardened warrior once more. Demetrius had told them that it was only a matter of time before his insurrection against the Emperor began. The implications of that were simple: Arden and Paris could be permanently separated during the battles to follow. They might have the possibility of never being able to see each other again at least until it was over and might not be a family before then.

"Paris, we will have to separate very soon and you know what? I want Hoar to accompany you wherever you go so that if Vader or an Emperor's Hand show up, you have better defenses with you. Against someone like one of those two perils, your troops would be no match and I want the guarantee that there is someone there who can hold their own against them even if it isn't me," she explained. "I understand my love, I've become accustomed to having Hoar follow me around anyway," he stated.

"Good, I'll go inform him that I want him near you immediately," she said. Before he could object, she placed a nightgown over her naked body and marched to Hoar's room for a chat. Knocking on his door, she was glad to hear him tell her to come in rather than have to walk to the sparring room. True that he was still practicing his martial arts but he was working on the more subtle intricacies of Terras Kasi when she arrived to speak to him.

"Hoar, you still feel bound to me by the life-debt you owe me?" she asked. "Of course I'm bound to you in that honorable way, why wouldn't I be?" he replied. "Good but I didn't come to release you from it, I came to ask you if you would be willing to accept a way to pay it fully. I have something I want you to do once Demetrius' insurrection against the Emperor begins," she said.

"Sure, just say the word and I'll do it," he stated. "I want you to stay with Paris wherever he goes, volunteer your life for him as you would for me. If we fail to capture or kill the Emperor, I'd rather be on the run or dead knowing that you are protecting my love then knowing he's vulnerable to Vader. Or for that matter, an Emperor's Hand sent to deal with him in Vader's place," she explained.

Hoar paused from his exercises, clearly this was something heavy and he would need to think about it a great deal though he needed to answer her sooner rather than later. _I hope I haven't crossed the limit with what I can ask of him, Tuskens aren't exactly great when they're angry_ she thought. "Paris Zaarin is a friend of mine just as he is your lover, I would fight with him even if I am no longer bound by honor to serve you," Hoar answered at last. "Thank you, thank you so much for everything; you are a dear friend, Hoar," she said, hugging him soon after saying that.

"I am a warrior of Tatooine, I'm supposed to keep up all the bonds I develop for they are what strengthen my resolve more than anything else," he told her as he wrapped his arms around her as well. "Demetrius says we'll be moving against the Emperor and his forces very soon, it's a matter of figuring out how to at least incapacitate Lord Vader if he can't be eliminated entirely," she stated. "In that case, I shall wait for your signal to join Paris for the battles he will go on in the meantime," he replied. "We have had many great adventures Hoar, may any entrance to the afterlife be honorable for you," she said.

"If it's necessary that I do that, I could care less the smoothness of the entrance so long as I fight honorably," he said. "You should care, you deserve a reprieve from the wounds of the past," she told him. "Trust me, you need that more than I do considering your long lifespan," he retorted. She laughed and embraced him once more before going back to her own room where Paris awaited.


	34. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

Demetrius knew that the timing for his attack had to be impeccable in order for the insurrection to even have a chance of survival. So when Vader ordered his forces to destroy the remainder of traitorous Admiral Harkov's fleet, he knew that he had to snatch it up if he didn't want to be in danger. "Remember troopers, have all batteries ready to fire upon Vader's ship the moment he orders us to fire on Harkov. We will have him by surprise then and we need him immobilized before we can ever hope to take on the Emperor," he ordered.

However, Demetrius would not be leading the attack. Instead, that would belong to a longtime friend of his who had shared similar feelings about the Emperor. His name was Agamemnon and he had vowed that he would either wipe out Lord Vader's forces along with the Rebel Alliance's or die trying. "Maarek Stele is most likely going to be with him for this, be careful," Demetrius warned. Agamemnon nodded his acknowledgement of this warning and Demetrius called another friend named Gaston.

"I need you to be ready to intercept Lord Vader's forces should he somehow survive Agamemnon's attack," Demetrius said directly. "Yes Admiral, I'll be ready at the Parmel system to stall them until you make your attack on Imperial Center," Gaston replied with a bow as well. "Good, is everything in position for our assault on the Emperor's headquarters?" Demetrius asked to all the crew. "Yes sir, we only await the arrival of Arden Lyn and the Emperor's exit of the planet in the Majestic," was the reply.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get Arden up here and have our ships ready to launch into hyperspace the moment my son reports the Emperor's departure," Demetrius ordered. "She's already said her goodbyes and is on her way here as we speak sir," replied one crew member. _Perfect, she wasn't too love stricken by my son to remember her duty and her place in this cause_ he thought.

"Sir, Arden Lyn's cruiser has entered the main hangar bay and she's making her way to the bridge now. She doesn't have the Tusken Raider in tow with her, if that is of any interest to you," another crew member said after some silence. "What do you mean?" Demetrius asked. "She appears to have come alone though she usually doesn't as far as we have known," the crew member answered.

_Likely she left him behind to be a guardian for my son while she is away, guess I shouldn't be surprised that she would do that. But does she really think she is powerful enough to take on the Emperor by himself even if we do help her by pinning his ship down?_ he asked himself. It was something he was going to have to ask her in the privacy of his chambers, seeing as she had said that the Emperor would be a worthy adversary for any man or woman attuned to the Force. However, he suddenly remembered that Hoar himself wasn't Force-sensitive thus, better suited somewhere else.

When she arrived, she simply said hello to him and he had to admit that he was a little amazed to see her in a jumpsuit. The top was had an orange breastplate on it that ran all the way down to her pelvis then came back around the other side to be parallel on her back with shoulders exposed. Her mechanical arm was attached with the help of another strip of strong leather that was equally orange. Its strip covered one of her shoulders that would normally have been exposed by her dress.

She also had boots with the orange color and the only things that prevented the entirety of her clothing being orange were the green stripes running from above her pelvis to her knees. "You look radiant Arden, is that a cloth design based on what you grew up knowing from the Palawa?" he asked. He was truly curious to where she got such a strange taste from and when she answered, he knew at once that it was designed as a reminder of her early days indeed. "We'll soon be ready to make our move against the Emperor, it's only a matter of time before the reports come in that signal us," he said.

"I'm ready," she replied. She did indeed look ready to face the Emperor with the lightsabers clipped at her belt but something else was in her eye. It wasn't fear, that much he could detect immediately or at least not fear of the Emperor and what he could do. Did she fear for Paris' life?

Was she so madly in love with him after six months with him that she would give her life with him? Or was there something else that she and Paris were not telling Demetrius that he would need to know? Suddenly, it occurred to him what it might be when he saw her rubbing her stomach slightly and not noticeably to anyone else. "You're pregnant, aren't you?" he asked in a whisper.

She looked up at him in surprise that he would ask such a question of her but the look was all Demetrius needed to confirm that she was. "My son has tried before to have children with women he professed to love. All of them ended in miscarriages or stillbirths but I'm sure you'll find a way to avoid that fate," he stated in the same whispering tone. Arden continued to rub her stomach in thought of that and had to admit that she herself wasn't looking forward to the risks associated with being pregnant.

"Sir, we have forces ready to be set up at any other frontiers that you desire. You did suggest that we make a series of simultaneous attacks in order to catch the Empire off guard," a captain stated. "Yes I did, send those extra forces to Omar, ZA-13, and RS-32: see if they can capture any of those important frontiers for us," Demetrius ordered. The captain saluted him but Zaarin told him not to launch anything until his forces had engaged Palpatine at Imperial Center which he would make sure to report.

Once again, the hologram of the captain saluted him and cut transmission to make sure that his orders were obeyed. Then another hologram came, this time from Agamemnon who had went into hyperspace shortly after his talk with Demetrius. "We have arrived at Ottega and we will be engaging Vader's forces shortly," he said. "Excellent, engage when ready," Demetrius said.

There was no turning back now, he and Arden Lyn both knew this to be true of their coup d'etat. _I hope she's up to the challenge of bringing the Emperor down by herself_ he thought but didn't say. "Without further ado, ladies and gentleman, let us jump to lightspeed and head for Imperial Center. Will the Emperor be there in time for our ambush?" he asked.

"Yes sir, according to hacked communications that we are receiving, he will be there within the minute or so before our arrival," a crew member answered. "Then let's not keep him waiting, jump to lightspeed when ready," Demetrius ordered. And that was just what the fleet he was commanding for the attack on Imperial Center did. They had crossed the rubicon now, there was no going back for Demetrius or Arden; the latter clutched her belly once again in the hope that they would survive this.

**For Lord Vader, the** raid on what remained of Admiral Harkov's success was a magnificent success. He had prevented the traitors from fleeing from him and even brought in the _Akaga_, a brilliant Nebula-B frigate of terrible power, to help finish them off. Now he needed the taskforce that Admiral Zaarin would be sending to assist him in the complete annihilation of Harkov's traitorous forces. However, victory soon became near-disaster as Zaarin's forces began bombarding the _Garrett_, his ship, rather than the_ Protector_ which they had been ordered to destroy.

Finding out that the leader of this taskforce was Captain Agamemnon, a close friend of Demetrius Zaarin and a frequent supporter in his missions. "Captain, what is the meaning of this treason? Halt your fire immediately and turn it on the Protector at once!" he ordered once he had a transmission. "In good time, Lord Vader, in good time: my orders are to deal with you first," Agamemnon replied calmly before disconnecting transmission abruptly.

_Admiral Zaarin has defected and has turned several officers against us, Agamemnon being only one of the more obvious. Something's not right, he's attacking me first and not the Emperor_ Vader observed. That's when it hit him: Zaarin knew that if Vader combined his strength with the Emperor, he would have stood no chance in destroying them. He was trying to incapacitate or destroy Vader first before then turning his eye towards the Emperor for an easier killing.

"All loyal Imperial forces, it would seem as though we have a new enemy. Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin and his son have betrayed the Empire and command Captain Agamemnon to kill us. We must destroy Agamemnon and his fighters first before turning our eyes back toward Harkov's forces, if at all possible," Vader ordered in a transmission to his forces. But then he noticed the Alliance was taking this opportunity to have Harkov's ships retreat and let Zaarin have at Vader and his army.

"Lord Vader to Colonel Maarek Stele, repeat Lord Vader to Colonel Maarek Stele, come in. The Harpax has already been taken down but I need you to intercept the Protector before they escape, over and out!" Vader ordered. "Copy that Lord Vader, I'll have them down and out of commission in no time," was the immediate response from the young pilot. _Excellent, now I can rest easy and turn my eye back to Zaarin's forces and deal with Agamemnon_ Vader thought calmly.

One of the corvettes sent to stop him contained Agamemnon and he knew it, the only matter being to find out which one it was. So he ordered his crew to hit all of the corvettes at once with a wave of cannonfire that nothing could dodge once in it. "I need Alpha, Theta, and Rho Squads to destroy Tau and Mu squadron from the insurrectionist forces or at least stall them until Colonel Stele returns. Gamma, Pi, and Rho: I need you to engage the Gamma-class ATR-6 assault transports," Vader ordered.

When the leader of every squad checked in and confirmed reception of his orders, he checked on Stele to see his progress in destroying Protector. "Almost finished Lord Vader, I'll be able to return and help you with the insurrectionists immediately after," Maarek answered. "Excellent but keep an eye out for any Rebel reinforcements and destroy them," Vader told him. "With pleasure sir, may I put in a request for one of the squads if it turns out to be too much for me?" Maarek asked.

"I'll have Pi Squad on standby in case you make the request," Vader answered. "Copy that, sir," Maarek said before cutting transmission and returning to deal with his target, the_ Protector_. Luckily for Lord Vader, more than half of the Admiral Harkov's forces were already wiped out or he would not have said that. All the starfighter squads and cargo containers were vaporized, _Akaga_ was gone, with _Protector_about to follow suit. _Whell_ and _Waq_ were out of the picture as well as the other two heavy lifters with which the latter was categorized.

_Warhawk_ was also destroyed early on in the battle which just left _Protector_ as well as the insurrectionist forces of Admiral Zaarin. "Wipe them out, wipe them out to the last man!" Vader ordered in concern to Zaarin's forces. Soon though, the reports of Mu and Tau Squads being destroyed came in and it wasn't long before the ATR-6 assault transports followed suit. By this time, Vader had also destroyed Bakaar 1 through 3 of the corvettes and severely damaged _Falcon_ 1.

However, Agamemnon was soon back on and mocking Lord Vader for having not found him yet. "The Emperor chose you to be his executioner when the best you can do is this?" he asked Vader. "There is one thing I can do to remedy that immediately," Vader answered. He grabbed Agamemnon's throat with the Force and watched as several officers tried to help him out of it.

Then one officer made the mistake of naming the ship that Agamemnon was on while the transmission was still on: _Arditi_ 2 was the corvette to hit. Nonetheless, Vader would hit them all anyway and when he heard that Maarek had succeeded he was motivated further. Two Alliance corvettes, two _Delta_-class JV-7 shuttles joined them, and 3 B-wing starfighters came out of hyperspace after that. However, Maarek dispatched these with ease while Vader wiped out the remaining corvettes thus destroying Agamemnon in his before the battle is over.

When Maarek returned, Vader immediately handpicked him and five other elite pilots for a special mission. He knew the _Garrett_ was too heavily damaged for another engagement and he ordered the crew to take it to the nearest loyal repair facility. "It seems as if Zaarin has developed some dangerous plans, and we believe the Emperor to be in great danger. I want you to join me, Colonel, on an urgent mission. You have trained in the new starfighter.

"I want you to accompany me and break through Zaarin's lines. I must get to Coruscant immediately," Vader said upon Maarek and the pilots arriving. "Yes sir, I will do what I must to serve the Empire," Maarek vowed as did the other pilots. Smiling beneath his mask, Vader boarded his starfighter and took off for the rescue of the Emperor from Admiral Zaarin.

**Palpatine sensed something wrong** going on with Lord Vader's fight against Harkov's forces but he trusted him to solve it for himself as he always did. "Inquisitor Tremayne, perhaps you should consider taking a break from your hunt for Arden Lyn. I have another task for you at the moment," he said immediately. "Yes milord, what can I do?" Tremayne asked.

"I would like you to come aboard the _Majestic_ with me and journey to Korriban. I could use some company that is capable of killing Jedi in my search for the valuables there," Palpatine answered. "My life revolves only around serving the Master who has but to command and I shall do," Tremayne replied. "Excellent, the ship is ready to go and now we only need to join it through a shuttle we'll be taking from here," Palpatine stated.

"Master, forgive me for saying so but do you not fear the threat Arden Lyn poses while loose?" Tremayne inquired. "I would be a fool not to be afraid of what her powers mean for me now that she is rogue. However, I choose to use that fear fuel my strength and hasten my rise to victory over her through not brute force as would be her domain but sheer cunning," Palpatine explained. _She seems to be pretty cunning to me but I will not point that out, my liege_ Tremayne thought silently.

But indeed, she did seem very cunning for she had commanded the most powerful team of Terras Kasi masters that the Empire or anyone could ever produce. They had done so well as to be able to beat back the Followers of Palawa who originated the ancient fighting style. That could not be done through sheer brutality and force alone but through the cunning of a powerful military figure. And powerful, Arden was in not only the Force but in that aspect as well which made hunting her exciting.

Tremayne lusted for a good challenge and she was the only one besides his Jedi nemesis to have ever injured him and lived to tell about it. But now Torbin was not here to stop Tremayne from killing her and he still felt the passionate vengeance needed for that. "I understand Master but I will be on standby in case she shows up, I have a score to settle anyway," he said aloud. "As I would want you to, Inquisitor Tremayne," Palpatine replied.

**"If this fails, Zaarin,** I don't know if I'll be able to rejoin you. I may have to beat my own retreat and separate from you to save you the trouble of having anyone Sith hunting you too," Arden warned. "Much as I hate to admit it, you are right and I am prepared to accept that if that is what it comes to," Demetrius said. "If we win though, perhaps we can discuss the joint rule that you mentioned earlier," Arden suggested.

"Don't think too far forward, we still need to kill the Emperor and take his reins over. We'll also need to deal with Lord Vader if Agamemnon hasn't already done so. Lastly, there's securing the loyalties of the Imperial forces or else destroying them as well as possibly the Alliance," he explained. "Understandable, very understandable and how long before we're out of hyperspace?" she asked.

"We should be out any minute now," he answered. Sure enough, they were out of lightspeed just as soon as he said that to her. The _Majestic_, Palpatine's personal Star Destroyer, lay directly in front of them which worked perfectly for Zaarin who ordered his men to open fire. Zaarin, knowing the cruiser wasn't hanging solo, ordered his Z-Alpha Squadron to counter any other TIE fighter squadrons. Sure enough, Zeta and Eta Squadrons came to the Emperor's defense but Z-Alpha had the numbers to counter them.

"All escort shuttles, had for the cannons and knock out the shields on the _Majestic_. I'll go for their engines with _Glory_ and knock them out when you have the enemy in position," he added. "Copy that," was the reply from the leaders of the groups. "What do you intend to have them do once they succeed?" Arden asked.

"The troopers on board will be joining you in wiping out all stormtroopers on the Majestic while you fight the Emperor yourself. You don't want the troopers risking their lives anymore greatly by helping you than they are already are without doing it, correct?" he replied. She nodded and saw that the shuttle were already almost done with their part, _Haven_ 3 being recalled to pick Arden up. However, as she prepared to march down and meet it, Zaarin called out to Arden and asked her to come close to him so that only she could hear him speak.

"Be careful with that baby on board, you don't want it distracting you in your fighting or putting you in any pain," he whispered. "Not to worry, it's only a couple days along. Hardly anything to affect my fighting in even the obvious ways," she replied. Smiling, he wished her luck and let her go to the business of marching down to the shuttle and fight the Emperor as he wished.

"I sense the presence of Arden Lyn in all of this, indeed she has allied herself with treacherous foes of the Empire. Perhaps now is your chance for revenge, Inquisitor Tremayne," Palpatine stated. The distress signal from the _Majestic_'s communication board had already been sent and now it was just a matter of time before Vader and reinforcements arrived. "I'm ready, I'll kill that bitch where she stands!" Tremayne hissed.

"It won't be that easy but she will fail today, all the same," Palpatine told him. Tremayne smiled, knowing that even if Arden did miraculously defeat the two of them, she would not survive. The Empire would live beyond her attempt on their lives and prosper as it ever did before or would in the future. _Bring the fight on you stupid little bitch, Grand Inquisitor Torbin isn't here to save you now_ Tremayne thought to himself eagerly.

**"Mayday! Mayday! This is** the Star Destroyer _Majestic_, we have been boarded by Imperial traitors," was the signal that Thrawn had received. Zaarin has gone and turned rogue just as I anticipated he would after hearing about how he recruited Arden Thrawn thought silently.

"Star Destroyer Majestic, this is Vice Admiral Thrawn the commander of _Vanguard_ and supervisor of the corvette _Mescue_. I have received your signal and am en route to Imperial Center now, over and out," Thrawn said before giving the according orders to his crew. The lightspeed trip would be a quick one since he had already ordered his captain to take over mapping the Unknown Regions.

As a result, the transfer to becoming the reinforcements of the Emperor was swift and easy as well as efficient. Now he could focus on the true obsession of his life, getting Arden Lyn back under his wing so he could use her Battle Meditation for his own design. Ever since he saw it in action against the Yuuzhan Vong enemy twenty-three years ago, he had desired to keep it under his grasp. It was an obsession that gnawed at his being even now as he was close to achieving his goals in the Empire.

_I just hope I have an opportunity to capture you and take you as my prisoner, Arden Lyn. The Emperor will be most pleased to hear that I wish to imprison you forever_ he thought excitedly.


	35. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

The Emperor was caught off guard by Tremayne being thrown around and beat up like a rag doll before Arden even entered his bridge but not helpless. After all, he was the most powerful Sith Lord in history and the most likely to be unrivaled for all time as he liked telling himself. As the power of Arden's telekinesis throttled Inquisitor Tremayne unconscious, his lightsaber rolled next to Sidious. Smiling, the old man called it to his left hand with the Force and let his own saber slide from its place of concealment in his right sleeve.

Then, when he and Arden would both know that Inquisitor Tremayne would not be intervening in this fight, he saw the door to his bridge slide open to reveal the woman. "I am most impressed that you would return with a traitorous Grand Admiral to stop me now," he said. Indeed he was, he had been more expecting Arden to work alone or only with Hoar and not in cahoots with Demetrius Zaarin. "Save your breath while you still have it, Emperor Palpatine: you'll be needing it," she replied to him.

She unclipped both her lightsabers and ignited them, the green and orange blades hissing to life for the first time since her mission to Bunduki, six months before. Sidious smiled again and ignited both his lightsaber and Tremayne's, prepared to face Arden Lyn as an equal. But when she attacked first, the ferocity of the attack was hard to keep up with even for Lord Sidious of the Sith. He was amazed by the speed of the spinning of her blades and the power of the slashes and stabs she sometimes threw.

No doubt, she had been a great fighter in her day and an impossible adversary for most Jedi to overcome without the slightest bit of cunning. Which was why he tried his best to disarm her but first kicking her and then catching her off guard with a barrage of stabs, spins, and twirls of both his blades. But she easily recovered from the kick in time to deflect one of his slashes and hack at him with one of her blades, quickly forcing him on the defensive for a few seconds. The Dark Lord of the Sith easily recovered from this, dodging her attempt to trip him and jabbing both blades at her simultaneously.

It was when she dodged this and replied with a kick that didn't miss that he began to get a clearer idea of her fighting style. He hadn't doubted that she was a master of Terras Kasi due to her time training other students in it but she was much like Maul in her passion and aggression. Sidious remembered destroying Maul with relatively little effort and vowed to do the same to Arden Lyn now. Nonetheless, Arden surprised him in how she held him literally pinned down on one knee with solely the strength of her arms bearing her blades to cross with his when he attempted to slash from underneath.

It seemed apparent to Sidious that the strategy he used to defeat Darth Maul on Mandalore after dealing with his monster brother Savage Opress was not going to work on Arden Lyn. So instead, he resorted to a high kick to her pelvis from his bent foot and free himself from the crossing. Arden temporarily stopped to heal the pain in her pelvis and lower abdominal region before she continued. He wondered why such a hesitation would exist in her but he didn't really care for that much at all.

Until she came back with an attack even more ferocious than her last one, he was more than willing to overlook her moment of hesitation. The ferocious agility and power of her lightsaber attack was actually more than enough to disarm him of Tremayne's lightsaber. Then he managed to destroy the green blade she wielded by slicing the hilt in half, forcing her to resort to just one lightsaber. But her skill with just the one was equal to, if not better than, her skills in Jar'Kai lightsaber combat.

He recognized mastery of Shii-Cho, Ataru, and Vaapad as well as expertise in Niman, Makashi, and Shien. And when he managed to gain the upperhand in offense for a brief moment, he saw mastery of Soresu as well which indicated to him a very educated woman in lightsaber technique. Her usage of Vaapad alone reminded him of Master Windu, the inventor of the style, only with more agility, power, and grace than the foolish Jedi had had. True that Windu had been able to defeat Sidious with this form all the same but Sidious had allowed him to in order to complete Vader's metamorphosis.

He was not about to allow Arden Lyn, a user of Vaapad and other forms of saber combat who likely learned it from someone who knew them as he did, to beat him with it this time. But his curiosity for knowledge compelled him to see if he could distract Arden Lyn and weaken her ferocity. "You are skilled in the way of the lightsaber for a twenty-five thousand-year-old woman. Did you learn Vaapad from a Jedi who knew it when you were reawakened?" Sidious asked.

"Depa Billaba was my apprentice in exchange for tips on lightsaber combat, now stop talking and keep fighting!" Arden answered. Now Sidious knew: this Arden Lyn and the one who had apprenticed Depa Billaba during the Clone Wars were one and the same. This had been an ally of Maul's Shadow Collective and helped them repel General Grievous on Mustafar before disappearing. "You know Arden, it was I who killed Darth Maul and Savage Opress, twenty-one years ago on Mandalore," he mocked with a smile.

"It was a man named Darth Sidious, do not try to fool me!" Arden shouted. Then she continued her barrage of Vaapad and Sidious merely laughed. "You foolish girl, the public knows me as Emperor Palpatine but my true name-the name of the Sith- is Darth Sidious. Yes, I killed Maul and Savage on Mandalore before seeking you and your apprentice out with the help of Admiral Thrawn," Sidious said.

Arden tried her best to shut off what he was saying about the events of the Shadow Collective's downfall but he knew that she had sensed no lie in what he said. "Thrawn would have sold you out to me because he knew then as he does now that I could destroy him with my pinky if I desired. He wanted you so you could help fulfill his own ambitions but was more than willing to let me have you. You have served me well Arden Lyn, whether or not you turn against me now but unfortunately, your betrayal has forced me to destroy you," Sidious mocked.

"Silence, I don't give a shit about how I helped you! I am here to either capture or kill you now and quite frankly, I could have done that the very moment I met you!" she screamed. Her scream was imbued with the Power of the Force and Sidious watched as everything nearby was destroyed. At this point, his surprise began to become a distraction to him and he knew his desire to anger her worked.

However, the ferocity that she came back with after giving into her anger was more than he could take with just his lightsaber abilities and occasional volleys of Force lightning. So he deactivated his own lightsaber and levitated himself to a great enough height to begin using Dun Moch on her. However, when he threw the items that he could she caught them with the Force and threw them at another item he threw or else at him directly. "My husband tried that on me when my Force powers proved too powerful for just his sword alone, you fight just like that," she replied.

But the way she said it wasn't out of rage or hatred of any kind: it was to mock him like he had been doing earlier. Troubled, he did his best to keep up with her but she surprised him by creating green projections of her mechanical hand with the Force and using them to literally punch objects back at him. Whenever she wasn't doing that, she was trying to use the projections to grab him as though she had become a giant and was seeking to squish him. But he repelled these illusions with volleys of Force Lightning though he soon saw that these were only distractions from the real threat she created.

Using the objects he had levitated for his technique of Dun Moch, she had jumped up to where he was near the ceiling of the_ Majestic_'s bridge and tackle him out of the air. Landing near the door to exit the bridge, Sidious tried to escape but Arden used a laser from her artificial hand to stop him. She did this by shooting it at the controls that would open or close the door, frying them upon impact. "No Emperor, in order to get out of this ship, you're going to have to defeat me first," Arden warned.

Sidious tried to reach for his lightsaber since he had put it aside earlier but it wasn't in the sleeve. Likely, it had fallen out when Arden tackled him to the ground and she had then used the Force to throw it out of sight. Or worse, maybe she had vaporized it with one of the green bolts she could shoot out of her artificial arm. Nonetheless, he knew that he would have to rely on his Force powers as well as possibly his hand-to-hand combat skills.

It turned out to be the latter when Arden attacked him with a variant of Terras Kasi that he recognized and knew very well: the Variant of the Snake. She also switched off to attack him with the Variant of the Rancor but he was able to counter both with the Variant of the Absorber and Assassin. "You are gifted in Terras Kasi, tell me how many Variants do you know?" she asked, mocking him again as he had mocked her earlier. "I know them all of course!" he exclaimed, countering with her attacks with the Variant of the Ralltiir Tiger as he spoke.

However, Arden countered his usage of it with her own mastery of the Variant of the Bha'lir in combination to the Ice Tiger. Sidious desperately tried to stop her and nearly did when he caught her a little off guard by switching between the Variant of the Hrosma Tiger and Rock Lion. It was when he tried to fight with the Variant of the Gundark that she laughed and was amazed that he would go there. "You are so desperate to win that you would use one of the basic Terras Kasi forms with intent to catch me off guard?" she asked mockingly.

"I told you that I know all the Variants of Terras Kasi, I taught them to Darth Maul when I raised him," he answered, trying to keep calm. "All the classic variants, I can tell. But you do not know the forbidden Variant nor the one designed to counter it," she said. Before he could ask what she was talking about, he was introduced to the Variant of Anger which overwhelmed him immediately.

Sidious had known all the classic Variants as well as the Sub-Variants beneath those, in fact, he had been using some of the Sub-Variants before. He knew that there was the Way of the Animal, which all the Variants they had used before fit in except for the Absorber and the Assassin. The Dark Lord of the Sith also knew that there was the Way of the Warrior and the Way of Emotion. Way of Emotion was the often considered the Way that held some of the most powerful Terras Kasi Variants ever.

Unfortunately, the Variant of Anger wasn't helping to disprove that either as it seemed all his skills in the Animal Variants were coming undone before the power of this one Emotion Variant. "How in the universe is this possible!?" he demanded. "Why does everyone keep asking that whenever I use the Variant of Anger against a fellow Terras Kasi Master?" she retorted. That comment indicated that she had used it before and had plenty of time to master it to the perfection she had it now.

But then she began to do something different, she became calmer of mind and her attacks were less based on the fury of her anger- as per the name Variant of Anger- and more on tactical analysis. She introduced it as the Variant of Serenity since to wield it, one had to be very calm and cool of mind rather than controlled by raw emotion. Sidious tried his best to use the Variant of Anger, having observed similarities in it to other forms but found he just couldn't quite grasp it. But he knew it was over the moment Arden started using yet another Variant that she said she had been working.

"It's a combination of the Variant of Anger and the Variant of Serenity that allows one to remained mentally collected whilst drawing upon their anger for their strength. I have not yet given it a name yet but I think it's time I field-tested it against someone," Arden told him. There was no lie in that he sensed, she had likely worked on this during the six months after her disappearance.

To him, it was more than possible that she had discovered the Variant of Serenity whilst fighting the priests and wanted to harness both of these powerful Variants into a superform. Using the Force to amplify the strength of her right arm's punches, Sidious soon found himself running out of strength. He was having to rely more on Force Rage and Force Valor in order to keep up the fight with Arden._ No, I will not be defeated by this primitive fossil from the past!_ he vowed to himself silently.

But as she used the superform against him more and more, in combination to her own application of Force Valor and Battlemind, it seemed as though Sidious was meeting his match. As the duel progressed in her favor, he tried to fight back with several kicks and punches related to Stava. However, Arden Lyn caught all of this and even delivered a crippling blow to his left arm which meant that it would hang limp and useless for several days. Days that he didn't have if she killed him despite her desire to capture him, one could safely add at this point in the duel.

"Even with one hand you will know my true might and you will fall today, Arden Lyn! Do not doubt this promise for a moment," he hissed. "I don't know Sidious, Palpatine, or whatever you go by. You sure look like you're approaching the end of your run to me," she retorted, smiling widely.

He tried one last desperate attempt of Force Lightning but she simply applied Tutaminis in her left hand and absorbed the Lightning before then throwing it back at him. So powerful was her application of this technique that she could absorb every last bolt of his Force Storm with one hand. With equal strength, she was also able to reflect it all right back at him with relative ease and there was little his Force barriers could do to help stem the tide much. She had been smart to cripple one of his arms with her Assassin-Variant nerve attack before he could electrocute her as it would seem.

But even when he turned to other Force Powers, she displayed prominence in abilities that he was barely a match for. He could barely deflect her application of Kinetite and Force Destruction or absorb the green beam she shot out of her mechanical arm or the green lighting from her human left one. His own application of Tutaminis fell before the might of both these powers and he knew what she was trying to do: force him to apply Tutaminis to the laser whilst she electrocuted him. He also knew, thanks to her earlier indications in her fighting, that she did this with intent to subdue and capture him alive.

The absorption of the beam itself was not without its price: the more he used it, the more it felt like he was trying to absorb the blades of lightsabers into the palm of his hand or worse. Her Force Lightning also made it difficult to hold onto the absorption as it meant he was having to shrug off a lot. During his youthful years as an apprentice of Lord Plagueis he might have been able to shrug this off with relative ease but as an old man, he found it difficult to do. Plus the woman he was dealing with, despite being older than him, was not physically more than early-thirties and much more aggressive.

"I've come for revenge against you, Sith and mark my words when I say that I intend to complete my revenge," she said. She relented in holding pressing the beam on him after that and he almost reflected its energy back at her. Instead though, he took it in and used it to revitalize his body and restore the damage her lightning and beam together had caused him. "In my prime, the duel would have long turned into my favor and you would already be dead," he told her.

"Save the youthful reminiscence for someone who's actually interested in hearing your stories and isn't trying to bring you down. I have heard enough of your talking," she ordered. Complying, Sidious made to attack her with the Variant of the Snake despite needing both hands for it. She took his remaining hand but instead of crushing it, she simply pull him close to her and tripped him off his feet.

The young woman then proceeded to grab him by a leg and lift him over her head whilst holding onto his remaining arm. "It's time this duel ended, much as I have had fun turning your own technique against you and breaking your spirit gradually. Now excuse me for breaking your body too," she said. Then she brought him over her head, raising one knee in the process and rammed his pelvis straight unto her bent kneecap.

The result was a dislocated pelvis and total paralysis from the waist down for at least two or three weeks. When Arden heard the bonecrack that confirmed his disability, she simply tossed him aside and watched to see if he had any great ideas left. But Sidious knew that he was defeated, there was no way he could keep fighting with paralyzed legs and a broken arm. "You win, Arden Lyn: take me to Demetrius Zaarin now if he is here with you," he said, accepting that he had been defeated.

Heaving the crippled Sith Lord over her shoulder like a sandbag, Arden Lyn commed in that she had succeeded and was on her way back to the ship. When the Admiral replied, Sidious knew that the traitor was excited about having the Emperor in his clutches before very much fighting was done. _There will be more before the end of this stupid insurrection against my power, be sure of that Zaarin_ Sidious thought but didn't say.

For Arden, however, he had a different vow: one that he was more than willing to voice aloud to her. "If you should somehow escape the wrath of forces sure to come rescuing me, know that I will never cease until I have found you and killed you. You will know no peace for as long as you live and when you finally die, I will make sure that it's by my hand!" he said. "Old man, you forget who I am: as it is, I don't know peace much as I would wish it thanks to what the Jedi did to me," she replied.

Sidious had not forgotten that and he vowed to amplify the power of the demons that haunted Arden Lyn by any and all means necessary. But as he walked away, he sensed that Tremayne was slowly beginning to revive and as such, sent him a telepathic order to get the_ Majestic_ away from here. He needed this ship to live to fight another day and he needed the High Inquisitor to be able to do the same as well. After all, Vader would be arriving any minute with at least one other and he sensed that Admiral Thrawn would be coming with backup.

In the meantime though, he allowed himself to be transported aboard_ Haven_ 3, the escort-class shuttle that would taking him back to Zaarin's cruiser _Glory_ and his holding cell from there. For all the surety of defeat that was to come for Demetrius, Sidious had to admit he had done incredibly well. He would need to insure that he could count on Vice Admiral Thrawn to stop him after this battle ended. Only cunning like the Chiss' could match this excellent, brilliant execution of military strategy and technological genius such as Admiral Zaarin had presented in this battle.

Perhaps, this would even function as Thrawn's opportunity for a promotion to Grand Admiral as he had wanted shortly after joining the ranks of the Imperial military. _No doubt, Thrawn had deserved the title when he passed my test but I am glad I withheld it from him until now. He will certify having earned the title of Grand Admiral when he defeats Admiral Zaari_n the Sith thought. It was an ingenious idea and Sidious hoped for a chance to exploit it for himself after this battle ended with his troops emerging victorious.

And that was certified when Maarek Stele, Vader's companion, broke through Zaarin's ranks by destroying the other shuttles surrounding Palpatine and then boarded _Haven_ 3. Arden looked all around her, unbelieving that this militaristic failure was happening when she was so close to revenge. "I'll deal with you another time, your Highness. It would seem as though the will of the Force has handed you a good lot despite your injuries in combat against me," she said.

Just like that, she was out and away from _Haven_ 3 in an escape pod which would have been shot down if anyone had been looking for it. Besides that, Sidious probably would not have ordered it shot out of space now that he insured Tremayne had steered _Majestic_ out of Imperial Center's space. After Arden's escape, the battle was over in a matter of minutes with Glory making a full retreat and Maarek rescuing Sidious before destroying the shuttle he was trapped in. "You have done well, young man, be proud of that," he said as Maarek carried him away.

"I did my job my liege and no more than that," Maarek said with a smile. "You have done your job excellently and beautifully. Lord Vader was right to choose you to be a member of his rescue party," Sidious replied. Maarek chuckled and shook his head as he carried the Emperor to the safety of his Palace on the surface of Imperial Center, his domain of ultimate power and equally great defeat now.


	36. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

For Admiral Zaarin, the operation to capture Emperor Palpatine was going almost too well and he was shocked. However, he wasn't shocked to see that Vader and another pilot had survived the encounter with Gaston as well as Agamemnon and began turning the tide against him. On their own, they would not have stemmed it greatly enough in the Empire's favor victory but then came the Chiss. _It'd seem as though I have to meet again as rivals, Vice Admiral Thrawn_ Demetrius thought to himself sneeringly.

"All crew members, pilot the Glory into position to engage Vanguard. Repeat, position the Glory to engage the Vanguard," he ordered. "Sir, with all due respect, that's suicide! Vice Admiral Thrawn commands the Vanguard and the Mescue!" one crew member exclaimed.

"In addition, he may want you to engage him so that _Mescue_ can board _Haven_ 3 and rescue the Emperor!" another crew member agreed. Demetrius hadn't thought about this but now that he did, he had to admit that they were right. If he engaged Thrawn now, the _Mescue_ could circle around and rescue the Emperor before turning their guns on the _Glory_'s engines. "Very well then, do we still have the shuttles?" Demetrius asked.

"Yeah but not for much longer: Colonel Stele has already destroyed _Hellcat_s 2 and 3 as well as _Haven_ 1. He's currently engaging _Hellcat_ 1 and if he's not stopped, we might as well give him the Emperor back," a third crew member answered. "In that case, redirect four TIE Avengers to stop Maarek and have the rest keep their current focus on enemy squadrons," Zaarin replied. "Yes sir!" the crew member said.

"Sir, _Haven_ 3 has been disabled and _Hellcat_ 1 has been destroyed!" the first crew member shouted. "How is the Z-Alpha Squadron doing out there?" Zaarin asked. "Very poorly sir, the four fighters you requested to stop Stele have already been destroyed by _Vanguard_ torpedoes. As if that isn't bad enough, Vader's brought in three more squadrons of TIE Defenders," an engineer said.

"Which squadrons are those?" Zaarin demanded. "Alpha and Gamma Squadrons from the Ottega battle, sir!" the engineer replied rapidly. _Damn, I should have known that there would be survivors of Ottega and Parmel besides Vader and Stele that were ready for this round. Looks as though I'm going to have to beat a very hasty retreat soon_ he thought to himself.

"We'll not be having the numbers to sustain an attack from those squadrons. Pull out what you can as fast as you can!" Zaarin ordered. "We can't sir: if we do that, we'll expose the Glory to attack from the TIE Defenders and possibly Lord Vader!" the first crew member replied. _So I have to sacrifice an entire squadron to save my ship? Dammit this battle's turned out worse than even my calculations indicated it could_ Zaarin growled to himself.

"Ditch all our forces and prepare the Glory for a lightspeed trip back to Research immediately. Better to live to fight another day even if it costs us good soldiers and great ships," he ordered aloud. "But sir, what about Arden Lyn!?" a captain exclaimed. In the excitement of the battle, he had nearly forgotten her until she reported success in capturing the Emperor.

Then he had forgotten her entirely once her report came in and he attempted to secure the capture of the Emperor. "Have any escape pods been launched out of _Haven_ 3 in the last standard half-hour or so?" he asked. "Yes sir and from the lifescans, there's not a trace of Arden Lyn on board, she must have taken the escape pod after the battle turned ill," the captain answered. Inwardly smiling, he was glad to hear that she had slipped away in the chaos of battle even if not back to _Research_.

She had to secure the life of herself and her unborn child, after all, and Zaarin wasn't about to force her to endanger his future grandchild any further. "Sir, if we begin the pullout process now we can still save_Haven_ 2!" the captain added again. "Alright do it, have Haven 2 fall into full retreat right behind us and someone tell me if we can save _Haven_ 3!" Zaarin demanded. "That's a big fat negative sir, we're going to have to leave it behind," the first crew member replied.

"And the crew on board?" Zaarin asked. "They've already begun launching escape pods and are headed back to _Research_. Some have stayed on board however and I don't think the Emperor's going to dilly-dally about what to do with them," the captain answered. "Order them to activate the self-destruct: better that they go down with the ship than stay around for execution," Zaarin ordered.

"Uh sir, I think they already did," the crew member replied. "Good, now file into retreat formation and prepare to jump to lightspeed: destination, _Research_ in the Parmel system. Do it quickly and do it now or we'll not live for another battle," Zaarin demanded. "The _Glory_ is ready for full retreat sir, _Haven_ 2 called in and said they won't be joining us now but they'll be back at _Research_," a second engineer answered.

"In that case, tell them to make the jump the moment they have a chance then get us to lightspeed. And someone patch communications to my son, I have to know how well we're doing at the other frontiers that we're attacking," Zaarin replied. "Yes sir, sending transmission now!" a communications officer stated. Making his march back to the communication board, Zaarin stood by and waited until his son received the transmission and in the meantime, _Glory_ made the jump.

**When Vice Admiral Thrawn** arrived to the scene of the battle, he had to admit that he was slightly unimpressed with the chaos of Zaarin's form. Had the bastard taken any time at all to plan the attack or had he launched the coup on a whim? If the latter, it explained why he ordered an attack on Lord Vader at the Ottega system and attempted his destruction again at Parmel. He wanted to buy time to capture the Emperor with Vader's vaporization being just a bonus in the scheme of things.

However, upon arrival, he was quick to ask Colonel Stele which transport Emperor Palpatine was trapped on. "That would be _Haven_ 3, Vice Admiral! I'm making my round to the other shuttles and seeing about destroying them before going back to the _Haven_ 3 for a rescue operation. Unless you got something else in mind," Stele answered.

"Yes, make your way around to the two shuttles nearest my ship and destroy them. Then make your way back around to the ships closest to _Haven_ 3, spare any that are behind it for later. After that, I want you to report to the _Mescue_ and board _Haven_ 3 from in it and do it quickly before its too late. Lastly, have a medical team on standby: if Arden Lyn subdued the Emperor, he's likely to have serious injuries," Thrawn said.

"Copy that, this is Colonel Maarek Stele signing out," Maarek replied after a short pause to relay the details in his head. After making sure that he was on his way to do it, he then turned his attention to the TIE Avengers attacking the TIE Defender squads already present. "Lord Vader, if you get this then I need you to take the squads of TIE Defenders with you and draw off the Avengers. Do you copy?" Thrawn asked on an Imperial frequency.

At first, Thrawn thought that the Dark Lord of the Sith was too drawn into battle or else too ignorant of Thrawn to answer his communication. However, he did that after the moment of silence and rogered the request whilst making his own moves to grant it. When he saw that the squadrons accompanying Lord Vader were making their way to do the same thing, he made his next move. "All crew members of the Vanguard, see what you can do about directing the ship at Glory," he ordered.

"Sir?" a crew member asked, confused. "I want to see if I can get Admiral Zaarin to engage us and stall him. We need the _Mescue_ to go around to _Haven_ 3 and board it to rescue the Emperor when Stele is through with the shuttles I asked him to destroy," Thrawn answered. To his surprise though, the worst Zaarin did was order four TIE Avengers to go and destroy Colonel Stele's fighter.

"Lieutenant, send four torpedoes to destroy those TIE Avengers headed for Colonel Stele's ship. I don't want them disrupting the plans for the rescue operation too seriously," Thrawn ordered immediately. His order was obeyed immediately and the TIE Avengers were unable to act until it was too late to stop the torpedoes from destroying them. Stele was safe and allowed to continue his operations in peace, the operations themselves soon completed as if in gratitude to Thrawn.

"Hey Vice Admiral, thanks for getting those fighters off my tail. I've finished destroying the shuttles you asked me to take out and I'm making my way around to the _Mescue_. Do you copy?" Maarek said, moments later. "I copy Colonel and when you arrive, be sure to inform the crew that they begin the rescue when ready and to please remember to have a medical team on standby.

"It is an absolute must if Arden Lyn was asked to capture the Emperor by Zaarin," Thrawn replied. "I copy that Vice Admiral, this is Colonel Maarek signing off, over and out," the Colonel stated before cutting transmission. Thrawn was pleased with the setup that was going on so far despite the fact that he still hadn't managed to goad Zaarin into engaging the _Vanguard_. "Lord Vader, see what you can do about luring the TIE Avengers away from in front of the _Glory_, I need to goad Zaarin," he said.

At first, his comlink was static but then he heard the voice of Lord Vader reply that he would obey the order despite his apparent annoyance that Thrawn was giving orders. _Get used to it Lord Vader, I command the battlefields I am on when I am on them_ Thrawn thought quietly. As if that wasn't the only thing to notice, Thrawn observed Vader's forces begin to rout the opposing starfighters. It was an impressive work of art to look at and he almost had the _Glory_'s engines exposed due to the fact that it had turned its back for a full retreat.

Then, just when it seemed that his plan to destroy Zaarin right then and there had been assured, the _Glory_ jumped right into hyperspace thus leaving only the two shuttles behind. In the meantime, _Mescue_had gone around to _Haven_ 3 to rescue the Emperor as planned and begun the extraction. Overall, the turnout was not too disappointing although Thrawn would have liked to eliminate Zaarin before he could escape, thus ending his insurrection before it could really begin. But he had to admit, it might yet make for an interesting conflict to add to the Empire's history and to his own resume.

If anyone came anywhere near rivaling Thrawn in strategic and military cunning besides the Emperor and Lord Vader, it would have to be Admiral Zaarin after all. For all his personality problems that Thrawn experienced firsthand, he knew he was no small threat to be dealt with. True that all he would be able to do to the Empire was harass it militarily but he would choose massive targets for that. He would choose targets that were essential to the continuation of the Empire's technological weaponry as well as places that contained the developments of future advances.

As if that wasn't problematic enough, he was once the chief engineer of most Imperial starfighter and cruiser designs thus giving him knowledge of the weaknesses of many of them. Combined with his current strategic capabilities, he would pack a massive punch to the Imperial economy by himself. If combined with the Rebel Alliance, however, it would be the end of the Empire as it was for certain. Nonetheless, Thrawn had the feeling that Zaarin was too proud to join the Alliance and would rely on his own knowledge of Imperial technology plus his own advances more than uniting with the Rebels.

_Cunning as he is, he has already doomed himself to fail unless he isn't as prideful of his abilities as I suspect him to be_ Thrawn observed. Watching as _Glory_ retreated with _Haven_ 2 following suit and _Haven_ 3 self-destructing, an interesting turn of events, he planned his next move. Having received reports of forces at Omar, ZA-13, and RS-32, the Chiss officer knew that Zaarin would be making his next move on any one of those facilities again if he failed to catch them now. At the same time though, Thrawn suspected that he wouldn't make too many moves against those facilities.

Enough failures would compel him to give up on those areas and seek out other frontiers to make a place for himself in the galaxy. Submerging himself in the great ocean of thought, Thrawn concocted a plan oriented on defeating Zaarin and began mentally outlining key systems to push him to. Systems where Thrawn's forces in the Unknown Regions could reach him with relative ease and aid him in the battles. "Sir, do you have any further orders?" a lieutenant asked him suddenly.

Thrawn was slightly surprised by this intrusion into his thinking but he was quick to respond to the subordinate's question. "Await further orders from Lord Vader or the Emperor and in the meantime, prepare to go back to the Imperial Palace should they ask of it. And be sure that no one bothers me at least until we head back to there, I wish to be alone for a little while," he said. "Yes sir, I shall see to it immediately," the lieutenant replied.

That was when it hit Thrawn: before the _Haven_ 3 self-destructed, he had seen an escape pod launch followed by a couple more several minutes later. "Lieutenant, the boarding party that went to _Haven_ 3. Did they see anyone unusual, a woman with a mechanical arm and shoulder-length straight black hair?" Thrawn asked. "No sir, they didn't report seeing such a person though they did mention an escape pod launching shortly before their arrival," the lieutenant answered.

Thrawn thought about this carefully as it confirmed his suspicion that she was still alive but it was an unfortunate development in his plans for her. "Is that all, sir?" the lieutenant inquired, curiously. Thrawn shook his head and dismissed the trooper as he retreated back to his headquarters, disappointment at having not captured Arden Lyn mounting. _Where will you go now Arden, back to Zaarin or elsewhere in the universe?_ he asked himself grimly.

**Lord Vader grimaced at** the sight of his Master upon rendezvousing with him and Thrawn on the Vanguard. Colonel Stele arrived shortly thereafter from the _Mescue_ and bowed in respect to the Sith Lords. "You have done a great service for the Empire, Colonel Stele. Lord Vader was right to choose you to join the taskforce he brought to my rescue," Palpatine stated proudly.

Beneath his mask, Vader allowed himself a smirk and Maarek looked like he could barely contain a smile himself. As the Emperor was taken into a shuttle that would carry him to a hospital near the Palace, Lord Vader strode up next to the smaller man and patted his shoulder. "You have indeed done a great service to the Empire with your actions in this battle. There is potential for you to become an elite member of the military yet," Vader stated in agreement.

Maarek looked down, as if in submission but Vader knew it was more likely absorbance of what he said. "You are very brave even if a little rash when you don't have to worry about others shooting you down. Was there ever a moment where you were afraid for your life or of the enemy?" Vader inquired. Maarek looked like he thought about that before and was thinking over it again very carefully, knowing that there was only one true answer to the question.

"I had no idea how they had overpowered the Emperor, but I didn't stop to think about it, either… I didn't care. It was my job to save him," Maarek answered at last. "Wise answer Maarek Stele, there is indeed potential for you but not as an ordinary pilot of the Empire," Vader stated. "Sir?" Maarek asked.

"Wait until after the award ceremony for your service is over and you'll see. The Emperor has a profound interest in you now that you have displayed such excellent skill in battle," Vader answered. Then he left to see to it that Palpatine's injuries were attended to enough that he would be able to witness the ceremony. Antinnis Tremayne also had injuries to attend to but his were not serious and he was soon sent back on the trail of Arden Lyn as had been his mission before joining the Emperor.

Then there was the matter of Vice Admiral Thrawn and his service to the Empire during the course of this battle. A promotion for him was in order as well as Colonel Stele's awarding of the Emperor's Will medal in a ceremony fit for the cream of Coruscant society. _The cream of Coruscant are seldom ever part of a bigger audiences in these ceremonies anyway_ Vader reminded himself. But somehow, Vader had the feeling that Thrawn would not obtain his promotion or would not want it yet, at least.

One victorious battle was hardly the stuff of promotions, even if it was a battle to save the Emperor. However, he had no doubt that Thrawn would be given full power to command any and all forces used solely for the destruction of Admiral Zaarin. The Emperor would give him that much in consideration of his intelligence and his efficiency combined with his conservation of soldiers. Whether Zaarin knew it already or not, he was doomed to fail in the insurrection he had started on the Empire.

**Admiral Zaarin was somewhat** disappointed that the forces he had sent to Omar, ZA-13, RS-32 had not even arrived to begin their battles but he decided it was for the better. Meeting the Omar forces in Parmel, he decided to accompany them after inquiring to the well-being of his son. "I'm perfectly fine dad and more than capable of holding down _Research_ while you wage war," Paris said. "Just remember that the Empire will come for the facility at some point and be on according guard," Demetrius told him.

"Yeah sure dad and one last thing before you go skittering off to have fun, where's Arden?" Paris asked. Demetrius paused, not sure as to how to voice what had happened to her before concluding he could only do it in the honest way. "She hitched a ride on one of the escape pods on _Haven_ 3 before the Imperials forced me to retreat. I couldn't extract her so as far as I know, she could be anywhere but have faith: she is not as easy to kill as even the Emperor would like to think," he stated.

Paris looked like he wanted to leave _Research_ and go search for her but who could blame him? She did carry his (as yet) unborn child and the future of the Zaarin's family name in her womb, after all. "Send Hoar after her if you like but I'm not having you leave to go find her though I understand your desire," Demetrius said. "Arden ordered Hoar to stay beside me, there's no way I'm persuading him considering his loyalty to her," Paris replied.

"Then I suggest you pray that she find her way back to you before the Empire gets us all," Demetrius stated. After that, he cut transmission with his son and ordered the lightspeed trip to Omar to continue. Operation Strategic Warfare had begun with this battle and would continue with three battles at ZA-13, one at RS-32, the Destruction of the _Grappler_, and would end with another battle at Omar. What he didn't realize however, was that in spite of his occasional victories during Operation Strategic Warfare, the Emperor did not intend to live them down nor would Zaarin's nemesis Thrawn.

During the time of Strategic Warfare, despite that, Paris rose to a status nearly equal to his father thanks to his involvement in the ZA-13 battles and RS-32. In fact, it wasn't long before Paris was declared Demetrius' joint commander in the Zaarin Splinter Government and made heir to his father. Nonetheless, even as he obtained popularity amongst officers that were as old or older than his father, he still yearned to have Arden Lyn back with him. He desperately wished that he could send Hoar after her but the Tusken refused to go, saying that Arden demanded that the two men stick together always.

He longed to feel her warm, beautiful skin against his own again, the feeling being the one thing he would allow to cure him of the coldness of his bed. For the first time in his life, he had found he couldn't just move on to several more one-night stands, not anymore. She carried his future, his seed, and he wasn't about to abandon her just yet. But somehow, he got the feeling they'd never meet again.


	37. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

Escaping Imperial Center and landing on nearby Bandomeer, Arden was quick to make her way to the nearest spaceport after securing that her crash wouldn't be discovered. Despite her love for Paris and her appreciation of his father, there was only one thing that was on her mind now. That one thing was protecting the unborn child she bore in her womb from Paris' seed and nothing else. Luckily for her, she knew just the place to go for her protection and the protection of her child: Dromund Kaas.

After all, Kadann had foreseen them meeting again for one time in the near future though he didn't say this would last a long time or if it would be brief. She had to see if she could obtain sanctuary with the Prophets of the Dark Side even if they still served the Empire. Or at least, she had to try and see if their loyalty was loose enough to allow her entrance as a person in need of sanctuary. However, she suspected that she would need to go elsewhere before going to them just in case.

She knew a good place to go, one where she could then conceal her presence in the Force and literally disappear for quite some time: Tython, original homeworld of the Jedi. Because the Jedi Temple there had likely been attacked during the Emperor's purge of the Jedi Order, it was ideal for hiding. Her plan was to come out during the wee hours of the night and watch the News to keep updated. But during the day, she would retreat in the Temple and camouflage her presence from the Sith Lords.

While night-hunting, she would make sure to get food for herself at Kalikori Village as well as other resources that she would need for her daytime concealment in the Temple ruins. All the while, she would let her baby grow and grow big until she was certain that the Prophets would welcome her. She didn't want to walk blindly into a trap with an unborn baby five or six months into development, after all. _We'll meet again Kadann, as your vision foretold us doing in the future_ she vowed to herself silently.

Finding the Temple, she immediately made her way into it and into its lower levels in the knowledge that the darkness would protect her. Xendor had taught her as much when the Schism began all those years ago and she had remained in darkness for twenty-five thousand years after that. Rubbing her belly to assure her unborn child that everything was alright, she made sleeping quarters out of stone. Then she slept a genuine sleep for the first time since she had awoken from her first great hibernation twenty-three years before.

**After returning a repaired** _Majestic_ to the Emperor, Inquisitor Tremayne was asked to resume his hunt of Arden Lyn. Not only was he pleased with this but he was excited to a bloodthirsty extent especially now that she had treasonously rebelled against the Emperor with Zaarin's help. "Tell me Admiral Thrawn," Tremayne said when he bumped into the Chiss officer who had aided in the battle. "Would you say that the fuel trails of any escape pods would still be fresh right about now?" he asked.

"I would say they would be but I don't see how you're going to be able to use them," the Chiss answered. Tremayne pointed to his mechanical eye and told him that it could see in the spectrum needed to follow a trail of burned fuel. Upon being taken up to the space above Imperial Center in a shuttle, Tremayne immediately pinpointed the oldest fuel trail of the escape pods and followed its path. From the look of it, it appeared as though whoever had been occupying the pod was headed not back to _Research_ but to Tython or some other nearby planet.

_Now only one person would desire to go to Tython or even know about it amongst the insurrections, that person being Arden. But why in the universe would she want to go there? There's barely anything there that can help her sustain herself for any longer than a couple months_ he asked himself silently. Only reason he could think of was because she was hiding something, something that needed protecting if Zaarin was to survive.

He would have to find out what it was when he arrived to Tython and found her but in the meantime, he would just have to speculate and debate what it could be. But perhaps, in the massive scheme of things, it was for the better that Arden Lyn had left to Tython. Soon after the coup at Imperial Center and the commencement of Operation Strategic Warfare began, Research became a target. However, he doubted that she had left solely because of this for one reason: the insurrection would be desperate to inhabit worlds at which they could make a stand against the Empire.

They would try their best to colonize worlds closest to Imperial Center in case they could make another attempt on the Emperor's life. Perhaps Arden was the start of that inward expansion and more insurrectionists would follow soon after her arrival there. If that was the case, then he needed to reach her before insurrectionist forces arrived and took over Tython beneath the Emperor's nose. He had to settle his score with Arden Lyn and effectively save the Empire from her future vengeance yet to be had.

Operation Strategic Warfare had not gone exactly to plan: ZA-13 was destroyed but it had taken two battles to conquer Omar and RS-32 was still safe. Paris Zaarin knew it would only be a matter of time before the Empire made their next move and he doubted it'd be against his father. "Hoar, order our shuttle ready in case of emergency," he said as he deliberated this. "What emergency, might I ask?" Hoar replied.

"We attacked the Empire at its capital, we tried to assassinate the Emperor and take out Lord Vader as well. It's only a matter of time before they decide to attack our insurrection's equivalent of a capital world a.k.a. _Research_," Paris explained. "I see, you want to be prepared to go into full retreat upon their attack," Hoar said. "Yeah, for all the skill of our facility's forces, they don't have what it takes to do anymore than prolong the inevitable in a retaliatory attack from the Empire," Paris admitted.

"What about that fleet that's on standby to defend the _Research_ if it is attacked?" Hoar suggested. "Due to poor communication equipment in their area, I'd have to go to them in person. By the time I get back with them, _Research_ would surely have fallen to the Empire," Paris explained. "Could your father send another fleet to help you if that's the scenario?" Hoar asked.

"Probably but they also wouldn't arrive until Research had already been taken. In fact, they're farther off from the Parmel System than the other fleet I mentioned," Paris answered. "Okay, I put in the order to have your shuttle ready: it should be fueled up for travel within the hour," Hoar stated. Suddenly, Imperial ships jumped out of lightspeed just as the Tusken Raider and Paris had to admit that he wished he hadn't spoken about them.

"All forces in Research, engage the Imperial fleet not even one parsec away from the facility. Repeat, engage the Imperial fleet, this is Vice Admiral Paris Zaarin commanding you to!" Paris exclaimed into a comm. The forces on standby were quick to obey Zaarin's orders and Paris immediately asked Hoar to come with him to the shuttle. "I live to serve the son of Demetrius Zaarin," Hoar replied.

The two of them ran down to the shuttle and requested that only the very best two pilots in the facility take them to the fleet on the other side of the Parmel system. Luckily for them, the forces defending_Research_ kept the Imperials too busy to notice Paris' retreat. It was good thing for him too for had Colonel Stele, the commander of the Imperials, noticed him then it would have been over. The lightspeed trip to the extra fleet was very short but it was even shorter battle for the forces at _Research_.

By the time Paris brought up those reinforcements and requested another fleet to be on standby, the First Battle of _Research_ was an Imperial victory. Paris tried to take it back with the fleet he provided on the other side of the Parmel system but they were soon wiped out. Doing what he could to stall the Imperials with his remnants, Paris waited until the last fleet arrived with his father as their leader. Victory was the Zaarin's after the third battle but the Research had taken too much damage in the meantime to be used anymore. Demetrius ordered it destroyed at that time and refused to be swayed away from that path, deciding that there were other frontiers that were more vital than _Research_ was.

In all that time though, Paris would see more defeats than victories and his faith in his father slowly began to drain out of his being. He had gone into the insurrection in the hopes of a quick victory against the Emperor and an equally swift initiation into a new era of the galaxy. But now, he was slowly beginning to wonder if he had made a mistake by joining his father and meeting Arden. He was beginning to wonder if he had put himself in danger needlessly for his father's own vision.

True that he wanted to get to know his father better since he was the only family he had left with the death of his mother but he started to wonder if it was worth that. Would he have been better off searching for Arden with which Hoar was sure to help him? Could it be possible that he should have chosen to stay with her and their unborn child? He didn't know and for some strange reason, he didn't want to know either.

**Inquisitor Tremayne arrived to** Tython and immediately began pinning a trail for Arden Lyn's footprints. He knew the type of boots she wore thanks to Palpatine having made mention of such things to help him track her with his infrared sensors in his mechanical eye. Finding the tracks, he immediately began to assert that she was heading for the ruins of the ancient Temple though he didn't know why. Approaching the Temple, he had to admit that he was impressed that she would choose this, of all places, to hide from the wrath of the Empire.

Nonetheless, he was pleased that she had also made it a challenge for him to find her in the ruins though this was more likely her attempt at learning where all the corridors were than anything else. It was when he found her via the scan of his infrared sighting that he smiled and even laughed. "Arden Lyn, we meet again at last. I must admit that I am impressed with your choice of places to hide but now that I have found you, I will have my revenge for your injuries against me at Irkalla," Tremayne vowed.

"Antinnis Tremayne, it figures that the Emperor would send someone with a personal grudge against me. How long have you been hunting me?" she demanded. "Since you made your statement of defection at Bunduki, six months ago," he answered maliciously. "Your vengeance has carried you very far indeed but it ends now," she warned as she ignited her remaining orange lightsaber.

"I couldn't agree more," Tremayne replied as he ignited his own light-purple lightsaber. The duel began with Tremayne using Makashi and later Shien. However, Arden began battering him down with an unexpected mastery of Ataru and Shii-Cho as well as Soresu when necessary to defend herself. Tremayne then turned to his abilities in Niman and initially had her a little off guard though this was not for very long when she began using Vaapad, Jedi Master Mace Windu's form.

Such was her proficiency in the use of it that Tremayne had to turn to his knowledge of all seven of the classic lightsaber styles in order to even hold his ground. But she managed to push through with her use of Vaapad, which indicated much practice in the style as well as mastery of its basic principle. He could tell that Arden had an uncanny ability to skirt between in the line between Light and Dark as per the principle of Vaapad which demanded withdrawing Dark Side power to serve the Light. "How in the universe did you learn to use Vaapad so proficiently, who trained you?" Tremayne demanded.

"If I told you, you would probably not believe me. However, I can tell you that she was once a Padawan of Master Windu the inventor of the style," she replied calmly. Tremayne figured it out for himself soon enough the moment she called the trainer a "she". Only one woman was ever trained in Vaapad as far as he knew and that woman was none other than Depa Billaba herself.

As he tried his best to defend against the ferocity of her usage of Vaapad, his skill in the seven lightsaber forms slowly began to not only fall before her but to exhaust him as well. His cybernetics, light as they were, also would get exhausting after a while and he understood what it was like for Vader. "Give in Tremayne, there is no way you can beat me. I already defeated the Emperor and I will defeat you if I have to," Arden warned.

"Silence, you didn't kill the Emperor and I know that you will not kill me!" Tremayne shouted. Then he used a combination of Juyo, Shii-Cho, and Ataru in his vain attempt to defeat his enemy. However, her skill in Vaapad eventually forced him into an area where he knew that she would have the advantage. _How is this possible, how can she be so skilled as to fight me even after a fight with the Emperor not too long ago?_ he demanded to himself quietly.

But then she stopped using Vaapad and turned to Ataru as well as Shii-Cho and Soresu. Even with these styles that he knew and could counter, she was too skilled for him to defeat. "Stop this and surrender, Arden Lyn! You know that the Emperor will have his vengeance against you, one day even if you defeat me today!" Tremayne shouted.

"Inquisitor Tremayne, you don't understand. I can't stop what I do now for any reason, I have to go on and do what I can to defeat the Emperor in the future," Arden replied. Tremayne took a moment to breathe since she had relented to make her speech but when he heard that, he grew angry. "No!" he said before launching himself into the air and swinging his saber overhead to fight once more.

However, she intercepted this blow and arched herself so far back that she was literally able to kick him over her and send him sliding down towards a massive, pitch-black tunnel. The last Arden Lyn would see of Inquisitor Tremayne, was to see him try to grasp the slippery stone and fail. She also heard as he screamed in rage just before falling over the diagonal edge and down into the abyss below. The screams echoed across the room that they fought in and faded just as quickly as Tremayne had done.

What Tremayne and Arden would never know was that the shaft was so large and had so many turns that he would end up in Tython's one remaining river which would send him back to Kalikori. Of course, he had to deal with bumping into the walls of tunnel first as well as sharp rocks at their bottoms. But not for a single moment did the thought of revenge against Arden Lyn fail to be in the presence of his mind, it was all he desired now. Unfortunately though, when he returned to for healing, the Emperor deemed him a failure and decided that he would pursue Arden himself when he could.

**Five months later...**

Kadann received the summons to meet the Emperor at Imperial Center in time to see him off to Endor, he knew immediately what the Emperor wanted. He wanted a vision confirming that the Empire would emerge victorious at Endor, the last frontier that the Rebel Alliance could hope to beat him on. The saddest part, however, was that in the last five months since Admiral Zaarin's coup against the Emperor he had been receiving a vision of the Emperor perishing at Endor. This was where relying on the most likely course for the future could be a handicap: Palpatine only wanted the best news.

He would do anything to ensure his own vanity and pride could survive the will of the Force and with good reason. Arden Lyn had defeated him in single combat during the battle of Imperial Center that Admiral Zaarin had started. So denting was the blow to his pride with that act that he would have to make sure that defeat was no eminent for him again. The people of the Empire, of course, became less content after seeing what had happened five months before.

In Kadann's mind, rightly so too for Admiral Zaarin and his son Paris still lived and were still causing trouble though the future foretold them not doing it for much longer. However, there was the additional problem of Arden Lyn still on the loose despite his vision that they would meet again. To solve this problem, the easiest of all as it would turn out, he reached out to her telepathically. He told her of his intention to move from Dromund Kaas to Bosthirda should she decide to meet with him again.

She immediately responded, after he confirmed who he was, that she might just do that in the not too distant future. _Perfect, everything is proceeding as I have foreseen rather than as Sidious has foreseen_Kadann thought with a smile. "Old friend, it is so good to see you again and in better condition than I had been in before," Palpatine stated, reminiscing on his injuries. For four months after the encounter with Arden Lyn, he had to rely on a hoverchair to get around due to pelvic paralysis.

In addition, he had to wear a cast for his broken left arm for three weeks in simultaneity to using the hoverchair when he needed to get around. "Indeed my friend, how goes the construction of the new Death Star?" Kadann asked. "It goes as I have foreseen though with some delay, Vader will be remedying that however as will my personal arrival there," Palpatine answered. That was when Kadann sensed that the Emperor would ask him about his visions and he did though not before sharing his.

"Soon, the station will be armed and fully operational which would ensure the death of the Alliance and the end of this insignificant rebellion as I have foreseen! Tell me Prophet, do you concur with me on what I have seen?" Palpatine asked at last. Kadann knew he was going to have to reveal what he had seen but he knew better than to wait longer than a few seconds to answer. Before doing so, he determined that the best way to answer him was honestly and directly, wasting no more time.

"While you have seen victory, the future is always in motion. There are many outcomes, and I have been shown the one most likely to occur. I have seen the end of the Empire, and the death of the Emperor," he answered. This surprised Palpatine and at first, Kadann thought that he would be incinerated for certain though Palpatine knew this would provoke Jedgar into full-fledged assault on him. However, his answer confirmed that he wanted to but he was not about to risk life and limb to ensure the fulfillment of his visions anymore than he would need to.

"Do you not think I have seen such an event? Of course I have seen that vision, but I refuse to allow it to happen," Palpatine replied. "One meets his destiny most frequently on the path he takes to avoid it. The more you fight what I have foreseen the more likely it is to occur: you will fail," Kadann warned.

Palpatine had no immediate reply to this except to order troops to escort the tiny human prophet back to his ship. Kadann did not begrudge the request although he did deny it, confident that he could walk himself back to his own shuttle. _You have taught me very well Arden Lyn, indeed it is essential to keep some focus on the present even if one's skill lies in seeing the future. I look forward to meeting you again when you finally arrive to our home once more_ Kadann thought.

Jedgar, who had been left to guard the shuttle, looked surprised that Kadann would be back so soon from his talk with the Sith Lord. But he told him of the conversation and Jedgar immediately accepted the reality of what had to be done without any begrudging toward his master. "Do you really think it will be wise to leave the current champion of the Dark Side even if he is wrong?" he asked.

"Better to serve the Dark Side from a distance than be close to the explosion to come. Besides, we have better things to do with our time than continue satisfying the ego of the Emperor," Kadann said. Jedgar nodded his agreement and asked Kadann where he would like to go next, now that his self-imposed exile was all but assured. "Take me to Bosthirda and order all the prophets to join us there, it will no longer be safe at Dromund Kaas even after the Empire falls," Kadann answered rapidly.

"And what do you propose to do once we're there?" Jedgar inquired. "For the moment, we will let events transpire and act as no more than witnesses from a safe distance. Then, when the time is right to reappear, we will strike again," Kadann explained. That was a good enough answer for Jedgar.


	38. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen**

Arden Lyn was almost six months into her pregnancy and she had to admit that she had done well for herself despite the difficulties of finding enough supplement on Tython. But Kadann's telepathic message to her had confirmed one thing: where he was, there was both food and security at small cost. She knew the time had come to go there and live out the last three months of her pregnancy, she would need to in order to guarantee safe passage into the galaxy for her unborn child. True that Kadann wasn't entirely trustworthy but he was a better choice than risking a stillbirth alone in the ancient Tython temple.

Besides, she longed for at least some sympathetic company and while the people of Tython were not bad, Kadann had presented himself as a very friendly individual when last they met. Jedgar and Merili tended to be violently impulsive and reckless but Kadann controlled them effectively enough. In addition, the strength of the Prophets meant that any hapless Force user who wanted trouble with her after she claimed sanctuary would immediately be vaporized before the power of the Dark Side. At this critical stage in the development of her child, protecting its future was more essential than ever before.

And so far, her heart and her mind agreed that the best security (risky as it was) lied with Kadann and his Prophets. "Don't worry sweetie, we'll be going to a new home before too much more time passes," she said to her unborn infant. She had gotten used to talking to the child whenever it told her it was afraid or to hum a lullaby when she needed it to go to sleep. Sometimes, she even went head-on and started singing Bunduki poems she had learned during her days training in Terras Kasi.

The baby would be so calm whenever she began singing that she almost thought she killed it by singing to it. However, it would wake up soon after realizing that it was hungry and Arden would begin her night hunting. She would do what she could to find nutrient sticks since they contained all the vitamins and calcium her baby would need to grow healthily. To supply the two of them with protein, she would bait lizards, edible insects, and small rodents into traps she would set up with rotten meat.

Despite the diet, she was very sociable and kept in contact with some locals of the Kalikori Village who shared food with her in exchange for small manual labor inside their house. Sometimes, she would cook vegetables from the garden and would be allowed to have a portion of the product. Other times, she would be asked to watch after other people's kids whilst the parents worked on their farm. And yet other times, she would work as a hostess at the town tavern in which she would seat people and see to cleaning the glasses and tables after it closed for the night.

The bartender frequently offered her a free room in exchange for shelter from the night but Arden would pass it off in exchange for a ride back to the Temple. She explained it was not only for her safety but for the safety of the people of Kalikori Village. Now however, she headed back to the Tavern to inform the bartender that she wouldn't be coming back. "It's time for me to head out and carve a new existence, it's not safe for me to remain here on Tython anymore," Arden added.

"Just keep out of trouble with whatever you do. I've seen quite a few people leave Tython before a year's even out but I do wish you would stay, if I had to pick someone from the crowd. Good luck Arden, you're going to need as much of it as you can get," he replied. Hugging him, she thanked him for everything and asked him if he could get her on the next transport to Dromund Kaas.

"Now why would you want to go there?" he asked. "I have friends there, friends that can help me get a good start and maybe even a job even if not on the planet itself," she answered. "Okay, don't know anyone who would willingly go all the way out there except that dwarf named Kadann. He's had personal estate there since he became a Prophet of the Dark Side, taking mastery of the others.

"Wait... you're headed to see him, aren't you?" he inquired. "I met him when I was a servant to the Empire, he's got no affiliation with the Empire now and will protect me if I can persuade him. He may even see about getting me a job at some nearby system or something like that," she explained. "Friend or not, be careful: I've heard some pretty spooky things about Kadann and his Prophets of the Dark Side," he warned.

"No worries, just get me on the next transport to Korriban and I'll make my way to Dromund Kaas. If he's not there, I'll explore the outlying systems to see if I can find him," she replied. She already knew that he was on Bosthirda and knew that there were people that could get her there. It was just a matter of being versatile and finding certain agencies on Korriban that visited the planet often.

"Goodbye Arden and good luck," he said just in time to catch her a carriage to the transport that she wanted. During the whole time that she journeyed to the transport, making sure that the credits that she had saved up were ready, she only looked back once. That was to see Kalikori Village and the people she had grown surprisingly attached to, one last time. Then she kept her eyes forward on the arduous journey that lied ahead: the journey to Kadann's homeworld of Bosthirda and his sanctuary.

**Despite his status as** second-in-command to his father Demetrius, Paris Zaarin was becoming not only demoralized but also impatient. The Battle at Kiilimaar had ended in a draw, all three Semag Battles had been lost, Gwar was lost, and the Serenity was also a defeat. As if that wasn't bad enough, Demetrius had foolishly tried to obtain control of the Vorknkx Project Base ended in failure. His father's lust for advanced technology was costing the Zaarin Splinter Government dear.

Now that the project was completed, he intended to try and capture the corvette called _Vorknkx_ at To-phalian Base. "This technological desire for advanced weapons is absolutely ridiculous, father! Half our original force has willingly withdrawn aid and even requested clemency from the Emperor in exchange for information on our bases!" Paris shouted at his father. "A trivial sacrifice when the most advanced technologies of the Empire are ours to use," Demetrius replied calmly.

"God damn it, dad! Thrawn's got you by the balls in every department,_ including_ advanced technologies! Had you actually used some of that brain of yours toward strategy and critical planning, you might have held us up a little better in the battles against him! Shit, we'd have shot Colonel Stele out of fucking space by now if you had been a little smarter about training pilots!" Paris snapped.

"Watch your tone around me, boy. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have had funding for the Imperial Academy and if it weren't for me, you wouldn't be wielding military power of any kind. By my grace, your career has been nothing except the product of my successes in technology," Demetrius said. "Bullshit dad, what about Mom; what about the credits she raked up by working as a waitress and as a common whore when your paychecks too damn long to come through!?" Paris demanded.

Demetrius paled, unbelieving that his son would call his mother a whore but the way he said it indicated that she did it because she had to. "Damn right Dad, the waitress money was almost never enough and wouldn't have kept the roof over our heads or food on the table without your checks! She became a prostitute between checks while you played with your worthless toys!" Pais added. Demetrius snapped and backhanded his son across the face though he soon came to regret it afterwards.

"I love your mother, Paris! She would never have gotten herself into that because I made sure to punish her severely if she did," he added soon after. "Oh no? I remember nights where I went to bed hungry because my mom couldn't get clients.

"On those nights, she barely had enough to feed me, let alone the both of us. She fucking starved on those sorts of nights so that I could live to see you again! Through her sacrifice, I was able to finish school and then attend the Imperial Academy when you could actually be around!" Paris replied. Demetrius said nothing, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes to prevent tears from coming out as he absorbed what Paris had said about his own mother.

"That's right Dad, Mom made so many damn sacrifices while you answered orders from Lord Vader and the Emperor like the cowardly little bitch you were before you defected! Now, you've proven so arrogant and so careless in your quest for greater technology, you would sacrifice everything! You never were a good strategist without your toys but dammit, I thought you were better than this," Paris added.

"Paris, we're doing better than you think. When the _Vorknkx_ is in our possession, we'll be the ones who will have Thrawn by the balls (to quote you) and not the other way around," Demetrius said. "Bullshit Dad, even with _Vorknkx_ in possession we couldn't compare to the Death Star plus Thrawn is brilliant in that he is not only willing to more carefully calculate his next move but guess what? He's also not afraid to create new military designs that are specifically meant to counter what we got!

"We might as well lift the surrender flag now and hope we can still arrange a truce with him! Unless we move against the Emperor once more which is better than dying here with our asses being handed to us daily by Admiral Thrawn!" Paris countered. Demetrius turned to his only remaining friend Thaddeus in the hope that he could persuade Paris to stop this rant. However, the old Admiral's reaction to all of this amazed Demetrius beyond what he had known his friend to be.

"Passionate and somewhat choppy as this speech of your son's maybe, he's right in this matter. If ever there was a mind brilliant enough to give the Emperor a run for his money, it would have to be Thrawn's. Untried courage and arrogant delusion are no match for the kind of intelligence that Thrawn wields against us. I'd dare say that he's more intimidating than the Emperor in many ways for this intelligence does more than compensate for no Force attunement and that's for starters," Thaddeus said.

"You can't be serious!" Demetrius exclaimed. "Better to die fighting the real enemy than letting an intelligent, power-hungry subordinate destroy us for him. If Paris were at the helm of a second battle at Imperial Center, I would be more than honored to die beside him," Thaddeus replied. Demetrius was stunned beyond words, feeling betrayed by both his best friend and his own flesh-and-blood son.

"I will prove you both wrong when I obtain the corvette, I will destroy Thrawn and I will bring the government we have formed to a stronger point than ever before!" Demetrius vowed finally. Paris and Thaddeus both looked at each other with eyes that spoke only of pity for their mutual benefactor. Thaddeus gave the look that told Paris that Demetrius had become a maddened, broken shadow of what he had been before to which Paris nodded in agreement. Then they both turned to look at Demetrius and thoroughly examine him and the sort of man he had become.

When they spoke, Demetrius was infuriated and almost lost his control over his temper which had not happened in years. "Demetrius, Paris and I are going to make one last stand against the Emperor right at his doorstep. We'll leave enough for you to continue your selfish pursuits if you wish but for all our sakes, I hope we're both wrong," Thaddeus said. "Fine then, leave, get yourselves killed; what a fine, poetic tale that will be!" Demetrius exclaimed.

"Hoar, pack your things. We're leaving for a last stand from whence we may never come back," Paris said. "You've said that about quite a few of our last adventures," the Tusken Raider replied. "This time it's for real though: we're headed to attack the Emperor again at Imperial Center," Paris told him.

"You still haven't given up on Arden Lyn, have you?" Hoar asked, seeing the look of pain in his eyes. Paris looked up at the elder warrior and nearly teared up right there but held it in with the stubbornness his father had indirectly forced him to obtain. "If I can't be with her again, Hoar, there is no point in living anymore. Let the galaxy be done with me if I can't love her or see her give birth to my child," he replied at last.

"Amongst my people, whenever someone was so certain of that it was either because they had gone raving mad for that person or they had fallen in love with them rather genuinely. I see a little bit of both in you and I'll honestly say I can't blame you: because of your father, you lived a very loveless life. So lonely were you even when you had your booze and women that when Arden came to you, she melted the cold exterior surrounding your heart and reached the warm, gentle man within," Hoar stated. "You always knew how to read my mind and how to be a great friend Hoar, I hope that we go out fighting," Paris said, embracing the Tusken Raider like he would a brother for the very first and last time.

"When do we leave?" Hoar asked. "As soon as the Fleet is assembled, Captain Thaddeus is making the rounds right now," Paris answered. "Then it would seem as though we'll be ready by early tomorrow if we keep up a fast pace, correct?" Hoar continued. "Actually, more than half of the force we'd be taking is already assembled; it'll be a matter of hours," Paris replied.

"Even better for us all, I think. Better to catch the Emperor by some surprise and have a good fight than to have no surprise and enter a slaughterhouse," Hoar stated. "You always had a knack for words that I think I'll miss," Paris agreed. Hoar shrugged and proceeded to prepare his few belongings for his final journey with the Zaarin insurrection and with his life.

_Arden, my time is almost ended. My debt is almost paid to you for saving my life all those years ago_ Hoar told himself quietly. As he packed his rifle and his gaffi stick, he noticed another weapon he had almost completely forgotten about and it was one that had been a gift for him. This weapon was a darksaber that had once belonged to Mandalorian Pre Vizsla and even Darth Maul.

Shortly after the Emperor had explained where it had come from and bestowed it upon him, Arden began training him in Shii-Cho lightsaber fencing. The reason for this was that she wanted Hoar to be able to defend himself at least reasonably against someone armed with a lightsaber. Smiling beneath his mask, he packed this weapon in a compartment of his cloak where it would be well-hidden. However, this compartment had an additional benefit in that he could reach for it immediately if he had to use it against another lightsaber-wielding warrior.

With the decision in handy settled, he simply waited until he was informed by Paris that the fleet was ready. Was Hoar afraid to die? Sure, everyone who ever lived had been afraid to die when it came time to do so. But Hoar marched onto join Paris knowing that his fear of death would not consume him... rather, it would drive him to perform well in his last hours of life and die valiantly against anyone.

**Kadann knew it was** only a matter of time before Arden Lyn arrived on his doorstep in Bosthirda. She had telepathically informed him that she had arrived at Korriban and would be finding a transport to Kadann's new homeworld from there. It would only be a couple hours, at most, before she arrived and another hour or so before the cab brought her to the Temple. So when he calculated that she was only half an hour away, he made his way to the base of the temple stairs.

He even made arrangements for a stretcher to accommodate Arden's heavy pregnancy, knowing she would never be able to climb up the stairs without hurting her unborn child and herself. When she arrived twenty-four minutes later, Kadann greeted with a smile and a bow. "It's great to see you again Kadann though I wish it was under less desperate circumstances," she stated. "I'm already prepared to provide you sanctuary for the final months of your pregnancy if you need it," he replied.

"And I'm guessing that you'll be demanding a price for sanctuary during those months, am I correct?" she asked. "Only for any months you wish to stay beyond giving birth, such as the months needed to wean your child off breastfed milk," he answered. "Perhaps I can offer payment of a sort: the sources of recording I've read on the First Great Schism are either incomplete or inaccurate. I'm the only eyewitness to the events of the Schism and know the events before very well," she suggested.

Kadann thought about that carefully, mentally admitting that what she said was right about the incompleteness and inaccuracy of the sources surrounding the era of her early days. _I could use a more detailed and accurate picture of what those days were like_ he thought quietly. "Very well, I could allow you to have sanctuary for that price. Is there anything else besides that, you can offer?" he asked.

"I can teach your pupils how to garden whilst carrying my child through the last three months. There were times in Tython when I had to help grow gardens in exchange for a portion of the products. Besides, I think you guys could use a little more of an independent food supply if you want to hide yourselves from the galaxy any deeper," she suggested. Kadann smiled and chuckled: for all his ability in premonition, Kadann sometimes had a lack of understanding of present needs.

_She makes a very valid point however, if I want to be fully independent from any major governments in the galaxy then I am going to need to have gardeners grow our food. Hm, perhaps I can use this to bargain for a little more as well_ Kadann thought, smiling. "Throw in Terras Kasi training-after you give birth-for my bodyguards and you have yourself a deal," he said aloud. "How did I know you were going to ask that out of me?" she teased him.

"I have a stretcher ready to carry you up the stairs. Your room is ready and we will be having supper in a few hours, it would honor me if you would join us. By the way, would you mind me saying that you could use a less cumbersome mechanical arm?" he replied with a smile. Arden examined her right arm and had to admit that it did have a little unnatural heaviness to it which was discomforting.

"Do you have the parts for that to be possible?" she asked. "I wouldn't offer it if I didn't have the equipment to give it to you," he answered. "Is there a price for this too or is it on the house?" she inquired. Kadann chuckled, humored by what Arden Lyn had asked but reminded himself that he had already demanded enough of her.

"No, this one will be on the house. In fact, I can even arrange to have it prepared and applied to you while you wait for supper," he offered. "That would be most excellent, Supreme Prophet Kadann," she replied with a smile. As she was beared away by the subordinates of Kadann who carried the stretcher, Kadann watched in admiration of the surprising amount of strength that she showed.

For six months, she had lived on nothing but insects, small animals, earned portions from farming families, and money she earned from working-most likely-at the Kalikori Tavern. And yet her baby showed no signs of ill development, not even when he examined it through the Force. _She has done amazingly well for herself in the environment that Tython offered a woman like her_ he thought. It was the truth, any other pregnant woman would not have survived more than two days without her man.

Still, he had to wonder why she deserted the father of her child or if he had told her to leave. Maybe he had deserted her rather than the other way around, maybe it had even been an unprotected one-night stand. He decided it was for the best, in the end, to not bother with the details of how she got pregnant but it still fascinated that she had been able to survive Tython when it would kill all others. _I'll ask her how she survived at suppertime, might make for some interesting conversation_ he vowed.

"Is it really wise for us to help her as much as you have offered to give her?" Jedgar asked him when they were alone. "You are starting to sound like the stereotypical Dark Jedi or Sith Lord, Jedgar. We Prophets have the objective of helping anyone who asks us for their help as much as we can. Especially if that someone was able to stand up against the Emperor and live to tell about it like Arden has," Kadann answered.

"She deserves our respect because of that?" Jedgar inquired. "Precisely: she didn't kill him but she defeated him in fair combat. Of course, we have to pay her according respect," Kadann explained.


	39. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty**

Having scheduled his trip to Endor, Palpatine smiled that everything was going as he had foreseen thus far and not as Kadann had told him. "Is the Majestic ready for lightspeed?" he asked his crew. "Almost sir, we're waiting for the rest of your escort fleet to join us for the trip as well," a member answered. "That will take too long, just have them meet us at Endor whenever they get a chance," Lumiya interjected.

"No my dear, we need those ships in case something goes wrong. The Zaarin insurrection still lives and may attack us at any given time," Palpatine warned. His escort included two Enforcer-class cruisers and several squadrons of TIE fighters just in case a dogfight was in order. He also had a shuttle ready and fueled in case he needed to make an evac as a result of insurrectionist attack.

_Arden Lyn's had him on edge ever since she defeated him in fair combat, six months ago_ Lumiya observed quietly. "Tell me Lumiya, have you ever been to Endor or any planets along the routes it shares?" Palpatine asked. "Not recently, sir," Lumiya answered. "Then it should be an education for you when we go to see the operational capacities of the new Death Star," Palpatine stated.

"I look forward to it, sir," she said. Having traded her name in the service of the Empire, the woman once known as Shira Brie observed as the Emperor paced impatiently. "You could take my suggestion sir and let your excess ships deal with any insurrectionist," she suggested. "No, I told you before that we need those ships for our defense!" he repeated insistently.

"My liege, there are several ships coming out lightspeed. By the look of them, they have the Zaarin stamp on them," a crew member informed them. "You know the old saying: speak of the devil and he will come," Palpatine replied. "Sir, get in your shuttle and head for Endor; I'll handle this," Lumiya said.

The Emperor nodded, unsurprised that she would be quick to think of the shuttle and his eminent escape. "Destroy them, Arden Lyn. All of them," he ordered just before boarding the shuttle. "Yes sir," she replied with a bow before the shuttle hatch shut on her face.

"Milady, we have determined that the enemy fleet is nearly equal in every way to ours except for one: the _Erasmus_ is an Imperial II-class Star Destroyer whereas we've an Imperial-I. However that isn't the best part, the best part is that it's Captain is on board with his usual Tusken Raider bodyguard. We can destroy them now with the aid of a Super Star Destroyer we have on the other side of the planet," an officer informed Lumiya. "Who's the captain?" Lumiya demanded.

_A Tusken Raider? Unless this is Paris Zaarin, it would be out of place for a Tusken to be with the insurrectionists in a fight against Imperials. But even now, I don't know why Arden demanded that he guard Paris as I'm sure she didn't release him from his life debt_ she wondered. "It's Admiral Zaarin's son, milady and if you like we can blow his ship to dust immediately," the captain replied.

"No, goad them into engagement with us and prepare to board them. I will deal with the Tusken Raider and the boy personally," she ordered. "Madame, are you sure that is wise? We could just call in the Super Star Destroyer and have it obliterate them," the captain suggested.

"No, they don't know that their true target is gone yet. As far as I can tell from my usage of the Force and the observation that the shuttle wasn't shot down. We can use that to our advantage if we play along and act like we are protecting the Emperor until we're ready to share the truth," she replied. The captain smiled, emboldened by the implications of the suggestion and to see to it that the Majestic was immediately prepared for boarding should the Erasmus pull them in the tractor beam.

"Since their goal is to capture or destroy the Emperor, they should be pulling us into their tractor beam any minute," he added when preparations were finished. "Good, now all we have to do is wait for them to do it and then we'll spring the element of surprise on them from there. Fight to the last man as though you're defending the Emperor but try to surround them while you're at it. It'll make for good attacks to their flanks and we need to reduce their superior number before engaging them head-on," she replied.

"Yes ma'am, I will have the men ready to do just that. Do you wish to be at the frontlines or do you want to wait and see if they push through?" the captain asked. "Paris and Hoar won't immediately revealed themselves but they will when they see how well we've held up against them. They'll come to stem the tide but we will let them succeed so that we can have them in our trap," she answered.

"And what do we do once we've secured them in our ship?" he inquired. "Detach from the _Erasmus_ and blow its engines to hell. The rest will be destroyed by itself from there," she explained. "I like this, defeating them by superior intellect rather than brute force," he observed aloud, smiling.

**"Reel in the _Majestic_** and do it now!" Paris ordered. "You sure that's wise, sir? After all, they put themselves right into the path of your tractor beam all too easily," Hoar asked. "Not speaking to you Hoar, I'm speaking to Thaddeus," Paris answered.

Thaddeus nodded his acknowledgement of the order and spread the word to the crew on the tractor beam. It was a matter of minutes, when the battles didn't hinder the beam, before the Majestic was reeled in and attached for boarding. _This will be the last battle to save the galaxy from the Emperor and from my father's stupidity_ Paris vowed to himself quietly. "Hoar, stay here with me and wait until Thaddeus confirms that he needs our help.

"He'll take the troops in first and make sure that it's either easy pickings or something a little tougher," he said aloud to the Tusken warrior. "Yes sir," Hoar said, reminiscing how they frequently used this strategy when in the accompaniment of Thaddeus. "I'll take ten thousand soldiers with me: unless the Emperor's gathered the finest, that should be more than enough," the old man told them. Nodding, Paris wished him luck and told him that he would provide the other three thousand if needed for the taking of the_ Majestic_.

While waiting, Hoar ordered the starfighters to keep their attack on enemy ships and the escort vehicles to ward off the rest of the fleet. "We wish to remain attached until such time as we've captured the Emperor," he added. Paris smiled his enthusiasm for this order and thanked Hoar for making it clear to them that the _Erasmus_ didn't want or need detachment. "If this goes well, this will be the victory of the Insurrection and the point where my father's idiocy proves greatest," Paris stated passionately.

"And if it doesn't?" Hoar asked. "Then we will be remembered for having tried to end an era of tyranny that should never have been allowed to start. We will not allow our reputations to be tarnished just because my father is Admiral Demetrius Zaarin," Paris answered. "You say that like you've grown to hate the man," Hoar stated.

"I have come to hate him, I confess. He's gone mad with desire for technology and will do anything to obtain only the most advanced so he can use as little strategy as possible. I'm the real brains when it comes to strategy and he knows that better than even I do," Paris replied. "Then let's hope that your superior skills have not been wasted on this one last battle," Hoar proclaimed.

**The Battle of To-phalian Base** was over long before Demetrius even had a chance to really fight. True that his fighting had stalled Admiral Thrawn's inevitable victory on that frontier but it was still his victory from the beginning. On the exterior, Demetrius was as confident as ever and still ready to claim his prize if he could. But on the interior, he was beginning to wonder if there was truth in his son's final words to him.

He wondered if he had underestimated Paris' strategical brilliance and also wondered if he should have listened to him sooner. But it was too late to ask for an apology for by now, Paris had already begun his battle at Imperial Center and was too busy to hear his father out. Additionally, he would probably be disappointed to hear he had lost the battle mere seconds after arriving. More than likely, Paris would gloat and say he told him so since Demetrius began his battle after Paris began his.

_He'll probably say that I'm another excellent engineer with shit for brains and call me senile. And I think I'll have deserved to be called all those horrific names for a change_ he told himself quietly. But keeping his focus on the present, he had a chance to seize _Vorknkx_ even now that the battle for its base was lost and he ordered his men to help him seize it. "We need to secure that ship for ourselves!" he added.

**Admiral Thrawn watched as** his final victory came closer and closer to approaching. He heard about the second attack on Imperial Center and knew they would be dealt with soon enough. With Lumiya, there was no hope for victory on the part of the enemy that she faced no matter who it was. In addition to her Terras Kasi training from Arden Lyn, she had perfected the martial arts known as Stava.

Not only that but she had perfected it so well that she was able to wrestle dozens of the Noghri who originated it to the ground before she even broke a sweat. Combined together into one brilliant form in addition to superb knowledge of the seven classic lightsaber forms, she was near-invincible. Of course, this was not his focus: his obsession was still on her old Terras Kasi teacher, Arden Lyn. For six months, she had virtually disappeared except for the brief Tython encounter with Inquisitor Tremayne.

He needed her Battle Meditation for his ultimate plan of galactic dominion to work and he wasn't willing to trade that for the most advanced weapon in the galaxy. Granted, he'd take it if offered but it was far from the prize that he wanted as far as trooper strength and stamina were concerned. The effects of Battle Meditation against the Yuuzhan Vong had astounded and hypnotized him completely. "Sir, we have cornered the _Glory_ and we have begun our bombardment," his captain spoke, interrupting his thoughts.

"Excellent, have you insured the malfunction in the hyperdrive's capacity to keep Vorknkx invisible without destroying the ship is working?" Thrawn asked. "Yes sir, as far as we're concerned it is set to detonate upon entering hyperspace. It is sure to end Demetrius' life, should he board it," the officer answered. "Good, I want to see that it does," Thrawn said.

"In that case, you're just in time. The _Glory_ is about to go down and our scanners indicate that Admiral Zaarin is entering _Vorknkx_ now," a bridge member interjected. Thrawn watched carefully, observing the shape of the ship protruding despite its cloaking device rendering it near-invisible. Go ahead Zaarin, make your escape; it's the last mistake you'll ever make Thrawn thought happily.

"Captain, tell General Stele that I wish him to return to the _Grey Wolf_ immediately. His part in goading Zaarin's attempted escape is over," he requested aloud. Stele arrived just in time to see the lights of the corvette's engines prepared to go into hyperspace and that's when it happened. A massive explosion, greater than any that was needed to reduce a corvette to ash, vaporized the _Vorknkx_.

"Thus is the fate of all traitors," Thrawn stated aloud, victory being his at last. He marched away, joined by General Maarek Stele who suggested that they go check on the Majestic "It's taking heavy fire at Imperial Center from Zaarin's son Paris and his fleet which is strategically superior. That is, to his late father but not to you or I or even the Emperor's Hand Lumiya," the General added.

"You may go and help if you wish but my orders are to immediately return to my synchronization of the Unknown Regions into Imperial properties upon the death of Zaarin. We must obey our ultimate master to the end, must we not?" Thrawn replied, smiling. "Aye Admiral, good luck to you then," Maarek said, clasping the Chiss' hand for what both of them knew would be the last time. "It's been great to fight alongside you, Admiral Thrawn or should I say Grand Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo?" Maarek asked.

"You use my real name? Impressive," Thrawn answered with a salute. After Maarek left, he ordered his fleet to begin the hyperspace trip back to the headquarters of Thrawn's expansion. Even with his obsession with Arden Lyn aching at him, he wasn't foolish in obeying his master's orders.

**Everything was going just** as Lumiya planned: General Thaddeus had fallen, his troopers were soon to follow, and the next in the chain of command had called for Paris' assistance. "Milady, what happens now that you have brought out Paris and the Tusken Raider?" her captain asked. "I will challenge Hoar to single combat through saber and martial arts, he will not deny me. In the meantime, I want you and your troopers to take Paris alive so that he may be executed for all to see," she answered.

He nodded and relayed the orders for Paris to be captured alive and Hoar to be left alone whilst the rest of the troops needed to be wiped out. Bringing the lightsaber she had been given to her by Palpatine, who said he had stolen it off Lord Maul after their duel on Mandalore, she marched. Her march was not the proud march of an Imperial officer serving the Emperor as the captain hoped to see. Rather, her march to face down a former colleague and mutual friend of her teacher Arden Lyn was a march of bloodthirst and inner rage at her reluctance to kill someone that had once befriended her.

Even now that she had become the remorseless killer she needed to be in order to be an Emperor's Hand, she still had a soft spot for those she had served with whilst training under Arden. Truly, who could blame her when one considered that Arden taught them all to be fierce only to others, not each other unless they were sparring for a greater rank. Observing the carnage of her superiorly skilled stormtroopers slaughtering their numerically superior enemies, she sought him like a huntress. When she found him at last, she made her way towards him whilst deflecting blasterfire and cutting down anyone who got in the way of her blade.

Finally finding him just in time to see him run out of ammo on his blasters, she called him out in front of his men. "I challenge you Hoar, one warrior of Terras Kasi to another, and only the strongest shall survive," she proclaimed. Turning to see her, Hoar chuckled and briefly claimed to be glad to meet her again even if on such ill terms as these. "You know I would never turn away from the Empire even if it meant turning away from what I love," Lumiya warned.

"And you know that I shall never turn down a challenge if it allows me the opportunity to fulfill my life-debt to my ladyship," he replied. "Is she still alive?" she asked. Hoar thought about that for a moment as he withdrew the darksaber she remembered him being given, another Mandalore claim. "I see no reason why not though I haven't heard from her since she left Research," he admitted finally.

Sighing a slight sigh of relief, Lumiya admitted that she didn't want to do this but it was better to have Hoar be the target of her blade than Arden. "You wouldn't have been able to defeat her even with all your new skills anyhow, I don't think," he agreed. Then he did something that surprised her: he positioned his saber in the correct manner to indicate that he would go into Shii-Cho. However, Lumiya was not so surprised that she couldn't guess that Arden had secretly trained him in it.

After all, she was not one to just let Hoar have a darksaber without having some skill as to how to use it and Shii-Cho was a semi-universal style for lightsaber wielders to learn. "May the best warrior win," Hoar proclaimed. Lumiya nodded and charged him with the full agility of Ataru, figuring to let herself use it for a little bit before surprising him with the raw aggression of Juyo. In the meantime, Paris watched helplessly as his bodyguard engaged the Emperor's Hand and tried his best to intervene.

However, he was kneed in the stomach by a stormtrooper and hit between the shoulder blades with the pommel of another's blaster. This fazed him only temporarily as he turned to unload his full cartridges in both his pistols. When that was finished, he turned to the training that Hoar had given him but this was no match for the elite guards that knew how to counter it with their own usage of Stava. A guard subdued him into a Stava-induced slumber and slung him over his shoulder before walking away.

The captain then communicated the news across to Lumiya who ordered for every other trooper to be slaughtered. "This isn't like you Lumiya, please turn back from this dark path that you are only being consumed by," Hoar begged. "It is too late for me Hoar, I made my choice and Arden even stood by it on condition that it made me happy to do it," she replied. "And are you?" he demanded.

"For a time I was," she began as she continued countering his surprisingly excellent use of Shii-Cho with a combination of Ataru and Soresu. When she could get a good visual on what she needed to do when using Juyo, she seized the chance and literally swatted at the darksaber hilt. The ancient weapon's hilt was sliced in half as a result and the blade was deactivated forevermore. But Hoar, being one of Arden's finest students, had a solution to this that worked just fine for him.

When she came at him, he managed to wrench her lightsaber out of her hand and use his last blaster pistol shot to insure that she could never use it again. "We fight as equals as Arden Lyn would have wanted," Hoar told her. Then he donned the ready stance of the Variant of the Snake in what he knew might be his last great battle. Lumiya prepared herself as well, assessing him despite her ready stance for the Variant of the Assassin and looked for a point where she could use Stava on him.

From there, the battle lasted for the better portion of thirty to forty standard minutes whilst _Majestic_ detached from_ Erasmus_ and compromised her engines. The bigger ship went down and vaporized to ash within minutes as Lumiya had earlier predicted it would as the two kept fighting. "You have lost Hoar, I could spare you and grant you pardon if you surrender now," she suggested. "There is no honor in surrender Lumiya, my life-debt has to be paid in blood or else disgrace is forever," he said.

Lumiya understood though she didn't entirely like it but she sensed something about Hoar that was changing: he was wearing out and wearing out fast. Soon, he would give her an opportunity to switch into Stava and kill him instantly and thus end the duel and his life-debt. "So be it, Force Valor allows me to do this sort of thing all day if I choose to," she warned. Attacking with the full ferocity of the offensive property of the Variant of the Assassin, she cut through his defenses with relative ease.

Then when he could least hope to ever win, the outcome was sealed in favor of Lumiya when she made a chopping motion of her hand to his neck. This was followed by repeated palm hits to the chest, lungs, and face in the fashion of Stava. The result was bleeding of the mouth and nose that was nearly spontaneous and more than enough to slowly choke him to death. Granted, he could still speak even with his mask on but it was barely audible when he spoke just to reply to her comments.

"I'm sorry that it came to this, Hoar. I really am," Lumiya said. "Better that your dream be paid with my blood than the blood of the woman who most resembled a mother to you. Wouldn't you agree?" Hoar asked. Lumiya nodded in her agreement and turned to leave, hoping to leave before giving into her pity and remorse for her former colleague as her title wouldn't allow it.

But he stopped her just in time for there to be some glimmer of sadness for the fate of one of her finest friends yet. "Wait Lumiya, just... one request: let me die," he said. She knew what he meant: the bleeding wouldn't kill him quick enough but it would certainly be painful before the end. Nodding, she returned beside him and gave a quick twisting motion on his head and broke his neck. Death was instant and Lumiya turned away, knowing he wouldn't stop her now and yet even so, a tear escaped.


	40. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Twenty-One

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Arden was making her usual rounds on the garden, making sure that the students were applying just the right amount of water and soil for the fruits, roots, and vegetables to survive. That was when Kadann asked for a private audience with Arden Lyn, his face telling her something bad happened. "Have you checked the HoloNet News lately? Not that I need it but I know you do," he asked.

"No why?" she replied. He gestured for her to follow him to a station that would play the HoloNet News, informing her of a broadcast that was coming up just as he turned it on for her to see. "And the latest news, the Emperor has arrived to Endor despite an attack above Imperial Center by traitorous Vice Admiral Paris Zaarin and his Tusken Raider bodyguard Hoar. Hoar has been killed by Emperor's Hand Lumiya and all enemy forces are wiped out except for Zaarin who was apprehended.

"When we report back in just a few minutes when we broadcast live footage of Paris Zaarin's execution by firing squad in the Imperial Square, thus marking the grand finale of the Zaarin Insurrection. Paris' father Demetrius was already successfully destroyed by Grand Admiral Thrawn when a cloaking malfunction vaporized him in his attempted escape. He was using the cloaked corvette called Vorknkx in an attempt to achieve this end but it didn't work out too well for him as it would seem," the news anchor stated tonelessly. Arden was stiff to the bone, frightened by what the reporter just said about Hoar and Demetrius being killed with Paris scheduled for execution without a trial's formality.

"This... this can't be," she whispered. "I'm afraid so: the fate of the Zaarin insurrection, as I foresaw, was never meant to be ended in victory. Demetrius' obsession with advanced technologies combined with his son's opposition to this obsession destroyed it from the beginning. Nonetheless, I'm sorry it came to Paris being publicly executed as you stand helpless to watch," Kadann replied.

"But why him!? Why couldn't he have gone down with his ship which his father didn't deserve?" she demanded. She had no means by which to actually produce tears but her child's reactions to her sadness were more than enough to add to the pain she already felt. However, her placement of her face into her mechanical hand was more than enough to show Kadann her pain.

"There was nothing you could have done for him or his father, not anymore than what you already did," Kadann told her sympathetically. "But I had the Emperor right where they wanted him, I captured him with nothing more than my power, wits, sabers, and bare hands! And this is what is begat from that successful defeat of the most powerful of all Sith Lords by myself?" she asked him. "Sometimes, the Force is seldom unfair to even the strongest of those who serve its dictates, such as you and I," he answered.

"The baby is barely more than two months away from being born and I already have the promise that its father won't be there to see it. I know I won't even have the chance to say goodbye before he goes!" she screamed, her sadness finally producing some tears though only some. Kadann held her head on his shoulder and let her sob there until she could no longer do it. "I once had a family myself, a wife and three children actually," he began after a time.

"What happened to them?" she asked, blowing her nose on a nearby tissue. "One of my children died of heart failure brought on by massive amounts of uncontrolled arterial clotting in her lung. My eldest son decided to enlist in the Clone Wars only to be hit with a grenade during the Battle of Saleucami, all that remained of him being his head, hands, and rifle. When this occurred, my wife became so maddened with grief that she hanged herself despite my best efforts to stop her.

"My last child, perhaps my greatest failure of all, was subjected to horrendous experiments in relation to the Dark Side. Experiments that the Emperor started but grew disinterested in, leaving me to continue the project by myself. The child's name was Azrakel and though I taught him to hate the Emperor and Lord Vader, he also grew to hate me to the point of blood vengeance," he answered. _Can't say I blame him, I turned him into what he is now despite the fact that he is my own son_ he thought to himself quietly.

"Hello and welcome back the HoloNet News and as promised, we bring you live footage of the execution of Vice Admiral Paris Zaarin the son of defected Admiral Demetrius Zaarin. His execution will mean the permanent annihilation of the Zaarin Insurrection which has been going on for half a year. One of our special reports, Lucia, is live on the scene," the anchor said after returning. "The Imperial Square is the scene of a crowded yet surprisingly silent crowd as folks everywhere have gathered to see this.

"It is, after all, once in a lifetime that the Emperor approves of a firing squad happening in the Imperial Square. As the soldiers chosen for execution prepare their blasters and march to where they will fire the shots, the audience is watching as the annunciator will ask Paris a few questions," the reporter said with equal tonelessness. "Will the prisoner request to be blindfolded?" the annunciator asked. Paris shook his head quickly, clasping his hands behind his back and standing erect as he ever did.

The executioner squad marched directly in front of him and turned to face them before placing their blasters at their hips. "Does the traitor of the Empire have any final words he would like to share with the worlds of the Galactic Empire before he is executed?" the annunciator asked. "Just some," Paris answered. Arden looked on, wondering with wide eyes what it was that he would say to the galaxy.

"When I first joined the Empire to be with my father, I was a drinking sot who enjoyed the company of too many women. I confess that this was a part of life I was once proud of and couldn't imagine living without but someone special came to my life, someone who made me ashamed of it. Because naming her would only endanger her-she knows who she is anyway-I will only say this: thank you, thank you for making me ashamed of that past life. Thank you for granting me the courage to defy my father's obsession for technology to attempt to rid the galaxy of a tyrant where he would not.

"And thank you for granting me the serenity to accept my capture with the honor and dignity of a true warrior of the light. But please, do one thing for me and one thing only," he began. "Anything Paris, anything!" Arden proclaimed though she knew he wouldn't hear her. "Name our child Naomi if it is a girl or Hector if it is a boy; either way you deserve a way by which to truly remember me," he said.

"I will always remember you, even when I am alone after sending the child off to school," she vowed. Again, she knew that he wouldn't hear her but it didn't matter: she had to release the passion of her sadness and her love out before seeing him die. "I tried to imagine a galaxy reborn without the Emperor, without Lord Vader, and without the Dark Side. And let me tell you, my love, it is a magnificent and beautiful picture that not even Heaven's Glory could paint.

"Wouldn't it be great to live in a time of peace, freedom, and love? A time where you didn't have to fear being you just because your ruler would kill you if you weren't conforming to them? A galaxy with renewed and restored serenity and passion, a true sense of safety without sacrifice? I'd like to think so even now as I stand to be executed with my greatest enemy yet: myself," he finished.

He signaled the completion of his final words, the questions and the admission that he was his own greatest enemy struck Arden Lyn and probably several people incredibly hard. The stormtroopers stood to attention and rose their rifles, waiting for their signal to fire at their target and silence him. Paris, in the meantime, kept his erect posture and clasped his hands to his side but closed his eyes. He breathed slowly, knowing that any one of those breaths could be his last upon the orders of the squad.

Several seconds passed of the stormtroopers just aiming at Paris and everyone waiting with anxiety for the final order to be delivered. "Fire!" the annunciator shouted suddenly. Paris smiled just in time for the stormtroopers to fire, one bolt catching his forehead quite fatally and another in his chest. As he fell to the ground, time seemed to slow for Arden as he watched his lifeless body float to the ground.

When his back finally touched down, she slowly got up and began retreating to her bedroom provided by Kadann when she first arrived. "I don't suppose you won't be joining the rest of us for supper? No meaning to be rude or heartless, I just believe some socialization to be a good medicine for this sort of thing," he asked. "If you don't mind Kadann, this is just more grief to add to what I've already dealt with alone: that's been more medicine than being stuffed in a crowd," she answered.

"I understand, have your maid let me know when you would like to have something to eat and she'll have orders to pick up whatever you want fresh from the kitchen," he told her. "Why are you so kind to me, Kadann?" she asked. "Yours is a pain unparalleled by any other being that I know in the galaxy and yet you still manage to tough your way through most of it. I admire that about you and wish to do what I can to show you that you don't have to recover by yourself.

"Besides, I'd rather have you as an ally than as an enemy even if I am on par with the Emperor in my knowledge of Dark Side power. And I can't exactly act like a Sith if I want to insure you don't turn on me like you did the Emperor as a result," he admitted with a smile. "Is this more of your control that you did with Merili when we last met or is this actual friendship?" she inquired. Laughing, Kadann was amazed that she still remembered any of that from their last friendly encounter.

"This is an attempt at genuine friendship, the strength of your mind is far too great and diverse for me to do anything of that sort," he said. Smiling, she retreated to her room to deal with her sorrow by herself, eating only when she and her child actually needed feeding rather than to relieve stress. However, as Kadann continued to check on her, a premonition donned on him thanks to mentioning his son Azrakel to him: it was a matter of time before the man came for his revenge. Knowing the powerful being that Azrakel had become, he didn't want Arden around for the day that it happened.

_I may not be able to prevent my own death but perhaps I can regain some of my old Jedi self by sacrificing my life for Arden and her child_ he told himself quietly. Jedgar wouldn't like it nor would any of the other Prophets if he revealed this to them but Arden was a guest, nothing more. She had no reason nor any need to be involved in what was an internal affair for Kadann and his servants. The sooner she was out after weaning her baby off breast milk, the better for all of them but especially Arden and her child.

**Two months later...**

Arden Lyn was lying in bed, still grieving for what had happened with Paris when she felt something that she had never felt before. Looking down after righting herself in her bed, she began to see blood ooze out of her genitalia and she knew it could only mean one thing: her water broke. She alerted her maiden who immediately spread the news all the way to Kadann's ear. Intrigued and excited, the dwarf Prophet dropped everything he was doing to see Arden Lyn give birth.

"Where is the midwife, we need the midwife now!" Kadann shouted upon seeing the sight of Arden birthing. After the woman arrived, she immediately told Arden to slow her breathing and just push to help her baby out. Her assistant nurses stood ready to assist the delivery of the baby and Kadann knew that these women would not fail. For one, they were some of the finest midwives in the galaxy and even worked for a company that had only done the finest in medical delivery of babies.

"Just breathe slow honey and push!" the lead midwife told Arden. She even demonstrated the kind of breathing she wanted her to do and Arden followed along. The effort was continuous and even straining on not just Arden but on the patience of the audience around her. They longed to see the newborn baby and Kadann especially longed to bless it after she gave its name.

Jedgar, however, was the only one who was genuinely bored after about the first hour of effort and he excused himself. "Let me know when it's almost over and I'll rejoin you," he asked Kadann. Though disappointed, Kadann let him go and knew that it was probably for the better that the gigantic man who posed as his bodyguard did just that. "Keep going Arden, you don't want us to have to knock you out with anesthetics and conduct C-section, do you?" the lead midwife asked.

"The hell is C-section?" Arden said as she continued with the effort. Briefly, the old lady demonstrated what she meant by pretending she had a knife and placed it across her belly. The fashion in which she did so indicated cutting and Arden knew immediately what she was talking about. She had had a stillbirth that had come partly because of a C-section whilst trying to give birth to Xendor's heir.

The motivation was more than enough for Arden to heave with all her might though the nurse quickly warned her against doing this for too long. "Just keep going at a good steady pace and we'll make sure to help you along the way," the elderly woman added. A few more hours passed, the audience slowly fading but not for one moment to Kadann leave her side: he needed to see this child. After all, when he had once touched Arden's belly to check for problems (he sensed none), he had foreseen that this child would be a powerful one with an incredible destiny ahead of it.

True that the most likely path for this child's future lied with the Jedi but she would be the most powerful amongst them. She would stand at a nexus between the Light and the Dark, the perfect entity that was an example of being everything and nothing at once far more than her mother had been. Yet even so, with such nexus as that, this child would nearly always choose the right path. She would lead the Jedi into a bright future that was greater than anything Skywalker could hope to conjure in his life.

Two hours after coming to this conclusion for himself, Kadann finally saw Arden Lyn give natural birth to a healthy young girl. When the nurses weighed the child after cleaning it, they were surprised to find out that she was a little over seven and a half pounds. Kadann ordered that the nurses finish what they were doing and leave mother and daughter be, both needing their rest. "What is her name?" Kadann asked, curious to see whether or not Arden would honor Paris' request.

"Cassandra, her name is Cassandra," she answered. "But Paris asked that she be named Naomi if she were a girl in honor of him," he reminded. "I love Paris, I really do but looking into her eyes are all I need to remember him. She has his light blue eyes, after all and that's better than having my golden eyes," she explained. Kadann understood at once that these beautiful features about her daughter were all Arden needed to remember the father even if she was denying him his dying request.

"I'll let you two rest for a couple days, then I'd like your child to be brought to the Chamber of Sanctity to be baptised by the Prophets of the Dark Side. I sense a great destiny ahead for your child and wish to give her as best a start was I can," he said. Arden nodded, holding her little Cassandra. "Thank you Kadann, how long do you think it'll be before she's weaned?" she asked after nodding her reply.

"Give or take, I'd say the typical baby is usually weaned off after about a year. You'll need to feed her nine to twelve times a day for the first one or two months. After that, she'll need only to be fed at least seven for about the rest of the time but slowly work to weaning her off before the year's out. Begin introducing solid foods about six months of age in order for the weaning to be done effectively," he explained.

He was surprised that he had retained this knowledge from when his wife used to feed their children at least thirty years ago for Azrakel, the youngest. "I will help you with the weaning process if you need you and will guide you through the basics if you wish. However, much as I hate saying it, I will need you to leave after the year is out anyway. There is a personal matter relating to Azrakel brewing on the horizon and I don't want you around for it," he added.

"What do I do once I'm out in the bigger galaxy again?" she inquired. "I have already secured you a one-way ticket to Ossus where you can get a job teaching Terras Kasi, if you wish. The ticket is all I can offer after having allowed you to raise your child to this point in relative peace," he replied. "It's all I would want if anything after such generosity, Kadann," she told him.

**A year later...**

"Thank you for everything Kadann, I will truly miss you. Without you, I don't think I would have ever been able to raise my daughter as well as I have," Arden declared proudly. And indeed she did do a good job: her daughter displayed very advanced intelligence for a baby like her mother did. She had already mastered the art of walking like Kadann and Arden had in addition to showing potential for talking before two years of age.

"Anything for the one woman I respect more than the Dark Side itself. After all, even now that the Emperor and Vader are dead, the fact that you defeated the former is still significant to us all. It gave the Alliance some hope when they found out as it did for all insubordinate Imperial citizens," he replied. "I was just doing what was asked of me without any thought of reward to myself or anyone else," she said.

"Keep that philosophy up and you will gain more than you have ever known even if it doesn't seem like you will," he told her. She hugged him and he kissed her cheek, concluding his goodbye by kissing the baby on her forehead. The sacrament he had bestowed on the child was one that would eventually help her reach the nexus, a baptism of sorts that opened her to both paths in the Force. Arden thanked him a last time then made her way towards the ship that would take her to Ossus where she would begin yet another existence, away from the eyes of the reborn Emperor.

Four months after that farewell, Azrakel arrived and slaughtered many of the Prophets including Kadann. Jedgar killed him in a confrontation via the lightsaber but was severely wounded in the process of doing so even with help from the other Prophets. About a few days later, on orders from the reborn Emperor who had a bone to pick with Kadann, Lumiya and her secret apprentice finished them off. With their obedient act of loyalty to the Emperor, Lumiya and Carner Jax had finished the extermination that Azrakel started and sacrificed his life doing.

"Thus is the fate of all who dare to question the might of the true dynasty of the Sith," Palpatine stated when she returned with the report of their destruction. In the meantime, unknowing of the ill fate of the Prophets though suspicious of it, Arden Lyn founded a Terras Kasi school on Ossus. However, she knew it would be only a matter of time before Palpatine renewed his pursuit on her. She knew him too well to not know that even if he temporarily relented, he would never truly give up on finding her.

Thrawn had returned to the Unknown Regions on behalf of the Empire and thus his protection was out of question. Demetrius and Paris were dead thus their forces were scattered so there was no returning to the insurrect. Worst of all, most of her students were dead, in the service of the Emperor (like Shira) and only a couple in the Rebel Alliance. She doubted the Alliance would accept her after her attempts on the lives of some of its leaders nor did she want them to accept her, considering all that.

But life as a single mother was not as bad as Arden had been taught that it would be for a woman. Granted, the views of twenty-five thousand years ago didn't mostly apply now but she did see the strange looks and the patronization on some people's faces. But instead of hating those people, she pitied them for hating them for their looks, she pitied them. Two parents had the ability to split the load that came with raising a child and while effective-when done right-, seldom ever had any true hardship as a result. For Arden Lyn, whose child lost her father before she was born, this was about to prove especially true in the years ahead even with the credits brought in by teaching martial arts classes.


	41. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Twenty-Two

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Teaching the most powerful variants of Terras Kasi (aside from Anger, Serenity, and the technique they formed when combined) to only the wealthy certainly had its advantages. One of them being that they paid the greatest amounts for each of their children to be enrolled. But the fact that at least ninety percent of these families had three or four kids they wanted to enroll meant great money. So great-in fact-that in just five years of settling down on Ossus, she already considered retirement.

But who would she pass the school onto if she did that? Did she pass it on to one of her clients' children or did she pass it on to someone else. Then it occurred to her, her promise to Livy the Vahla was still unfulfilled and she needed to find a Vahla bounty hunter. When a client of hers, who was a representative in the New Republic Congress, came to pick up his son she decided to ask him about it. "Where can I find a Vahla bounty hunter who's at least an expert on the martial arts, Terras Kasi?" Arden asked.

"All the Vahla bounty hunters are experts at Terras Kasi but if it's a master you want, I know one who spends a lot of his time in the bar not too far away from your school. He bears a tattoo on his left cheek of the symbol of his people and if you worked with Vahla before, you'll know the symbol. Shall I arrange an appointment for you to meet him at the bar or are you good?" he answered. "I'll handle it on my own, besides he'll like the money my school makes and a personal item I have for him.

"It's something confidential that concerns his people and would rather not share with you if that's alright with you," she replied. He nodded and thanked her for giving his son the usual lessons in the Variant of the Snake, Hoar's specialty when he was alive. Quickly receiving the credit deposit he made in her datapad, Arden was satisfied with the amount in it and decided to withdraw her letter. It was a statement of why she was retiring and how much she loved the students even as she had to.

Besides, it was time that Arden actually started spending quality time with her daughter rather than being away teaching martial arts and having her go to public school all the time. The public school note reminded Arden that it was time to go pick up her little girl, a ritual she constantly enjoyed doing. Waiting at the stop, Arden's heart pounded each and every time she waited for the moment when her daughter would inevitably get off the bus and come rushing into her arms. And when she did, eight minutes after her arrival, both were overwhelmed with joy as Arden lifted her daughter into the air.

"How was your last day of school, my intelligent little girl?" Arden asked, nudging her nose and forehead against Cassandra's before she spoke. "It was fun for once and not an insult to my intelligence kind of fun too!" she answered. Both laughed, knowing exactly what Cassandra meant when she said that to her mother. "You know what I was thinking of doing for a vacation?" Arden inquired.

"Let me guess, another trip to the Temple, go exploring the inside of it for more artifacts?" Cassandra replied. "Wrong: this time, I was thinking we'd travel the galaxy for a little bit. See some new worlds and face new challenges," Arden said. "Oh Mom, that is so awesome but what about your school?" Cassandra demanded. "I've made so much money for us that I can retire at any time and not expect to work for at least a few decades, if ever," Arden explained.

"That is so cool, Mom!" Cassandra exclaimed. "Yes it is cool but I'll need you to wait at home whilst I take care of something personal to me, okay? I promise I'll be quick and I've already got tickets to our first destination: the famous Onderon," Arden requested. "Would you like me to try and make us dinner again or do you want to do that, this time?" Cassandra asked.

"Who cooked yesterday?" Arden replied. "I did," Cassandra admitted. "In that case, I'll cook. You just do your homework and/or read a book until I get back, how's that?" Arden suggested.

Then she kissed her daughter's forehead, made sure she remembered the security procedures, then ran down to the bar so that she would take up little to no time with the Vahla. Immediately, she asked the bartender if he was around and the bounty hunter was revealed to her with a finger point. Walking over to him, she offered to pay for his drink as well as her own which was an offer he took before demanding why she was here. "I need you to do a job for me, one that may guarantee that you'll never have to work in the field of bounty hunting again," she said.

"That's a pretty hefty claim to make but you interest me this far, what's your name?" he asked. "My name is Arden Lyn, I'm a veteran of the First Great Jedi Schism," she answered. "You're also a wanted ex-Hand of the Emperor," he stated. "But I promise my offer will forget that you even heard my name," she replied.

"Oh really? Then what's the job?" he inquired. "I wish for you to take over my job as the sensei of a Terras Kasi school, where I've had the identity of Fantine Lyn for years now. The bonus I give you for taking it up is free," she explained.

"Martial arts schools do pay greatly enough, you have me convinced on that account. That school especially is paid well to teach kids the arts, what's the bonus?" he asked._ Great, I have his interest and now to lay the final blow on securing his service_ she thought. Taking the chip from out of her pouch, she handed to him and he initially seemed confused though she soon explained.

"In that chip are the ancient coordinates to the homeworld of the Ember of Vahla, which you and your fellow Vahla bounty hunters have been looking for. You may have to update the coordinates to suit the galaxy we live in now though I don't recommend it but they should still be valid," she said. The Vahla's face said nothing for a moment but his reaction to knowing he could reach his homeworld was beyond words.

For how could one put into words the end of a very important search being near when eons worth of one's ancestors failed to complete it before now? How could one put into words that the ultimate task of his entire culture, a task they died trying to complete, was soon to be over? "Thank you Arden and for this, I'll forget your name and attend to your school for as long as I live," he vowed.

"One last thing I need you to do before I let you do that: take this letter and read it to my students when the classes begin, I have a copy of the schedule that I will provide you as well," she said. Then she reached into her pocket and unfolded the schedule for him to see, that way her letter could be heard or read by all her students. "I'll spread the word to my fellow Vahla hunters and they'll confirm it for me, that way our people can begin strong and anew," he said. "Then it's safe to say our business here is concluded?" she asked.

He nodded and added that it was concluded for all time, shaking and kissing her hand as he did so. Smiling, she raced back home to her daughter who was likely hungry despite still reading a favorite book she might have checked out from the local library. "I know I'm normally not one to do this but it's about time, momma," Cassandra teased. Arden laughed, glad to see her daughter was diverse as well as intelligent and it reminded her much of herself as well as her father.

_If only you were alive to see her now, father. You would be so proud of what she has become_ she thought to herself quietly. _I can still watch you as a spirit, daughter. And I am proud to see what has become of you as well as your own child_ his voice echoed in her head.

_Is Depa with you?_ she asked. _I tried my best to get her out of the netherworld but she sacrificed her right to do so in order for me to have the power to keep watching you. That sacrifice was over ten years ago and even my power to stay with you is fading_ he answered. _But why?_ she asked.

_I hate to say it Arden but your time to die is soon approaching_ he replied. Arden went pale though her daughter didn't notice and even gulped slightly. _Do you have any idea when that will come_? she inquired._None but I think that's why my power is fading and upon my inability to commune with you, you can expect to die any time he explained. How long do you have?_ she asked.

_I have at least another hour or so before I can no longer commune with you. Then I'll have to wait until you do die in order to speak with you again_ he admitted. She hid her anguish underneath, not wanting her daughter to see it but as she cooked the meal for them it did distract her. Twice, she had gotten burned because she was thinking too hard about it but it was just on the mechanical and easily repairable afterwards.

After the meal, Arden tucked her daughter into bed and went to meditate in ponderance of what would happen to Cassandra upon her death. She began to feel as though she had chosen a bad time to retire, she began to wonder what would become of Cassandra once she was no more, and other things. However, she decided only to think of her trip to Onderon and hope that she would not die there in front of her daughter. If there was one thing for certain, she knew that her death would destroy Cassandra if it occurred in front of her.

**Emperor Palpatine, revived in** an newer and younger clone body, was troubled. Sure he could use the Galaxy Gun to continue conquering worlds until he was finished. True that he could successfully corrupt Luke Skywalker in full if he chose to and he already planned to do just that. However, Arden Lyn the only woman who had been able to beat him still evaded him.

Seven and a half years had passed since that first defeat but now any who would support Arden and hide her were dead including the Prophets of the Dark a vision flashed across his mind, one that showed the Iziz Palace of Onderon then an image of Arden fighting, then her broken corpse. He knew from the vividness that it would be happening soon and excited, he ordered Skywalker to come with him to Onderon. If this vision was correct, he would have his revenge against the woman and he would be able to show Skywalker the true power of the Dark Side.

"Why would you be interested in Onderon, even if it is half a standard hour away from our current location?" Skywalker asked. "I have had a vision concerning it and the death of an old enemy who has evaded me for nearly eight years now," Palpatine answered. "And what enemy would that be?" he inquired. "Her name is Arden Lyn," he said with a smile.

Luke looked like he was surprised, knowing what Arden had done to him all those years ago. "But sir, is that wise? She defeated you once before and she could probably do it again," Luke warned. "True Skywalker that she defeated me but I warned her that if I had been younger then she would have stood no chance; now I am younger than her physiologically and want to prove it," Palpatine answered.

A shuttle that was already on standby was told to take the two of them to Onderon where his revenge against the Mistress of Terras Kasi would take place. _I am coming for you, Arden Lyn. You will pay for what you did to me all those years ago!_ he exclaimed mentally. Skywalker, in the meantime, watched with a little bit of dread at the excitement that Palpatine showed for this trip.

**Arriving to Onderon after** a few hours on a fine transport, Arden and Cassandra were both awed by the sight of Iziz Palace. Granted, they did have to duck from Imperial stormtroopers but the New Republic officers that tried to recruit people were friendly enough towards them. "Mom, why do we duck from the Imperials?" Cassandra asked when they finally settled into a hotel. "Well honey, do you know what a fugitive is?" Arden replied.

"I have a little bit of an idea, enough to be able to define one okay," Cassandra admitted. "Well sweetie, I am an Imperial fugitive. When I met your father, I joined your grandfather's resistance and attacked the ruler of the Imperials: their Emperor. Though I defeated him in single combat, I was forced to retreat and I've been a fugitive ever since," Arden explained.

Cassandra didn't know what to think of it but because the school she went to was funded by the New Republic, she held no hatred to her mother for her actions. Actually, she thought it would be something worth bragging about when the Empire was finally destroyed forevermore. "Perhaps it would be, might even help you find an excellent boyfriend," Arden teased. "Mommy, you know I don't like being around boys anymore than I have to be, I hardly like girls as it is!" Cassandra exclaimed.

"That's what bothers me. I'd like to see you making more friends and possibly even dating before it's too late for you to avoid becoming a loner," Arden admitted. Arden concluded it was best not to tell Cassandra about what her father's spirit had told her, it would be too much for her to know. "Maybe high school will present better luck than elementary school currently does," Cassandra suggested.

"A girl like you might have trouble until college, much as I hate admitting it," Arden told her. "In that case, I'll wait until college to get some action," Cassandra retorted. "You watch your mouth little girl or I'll wash it out," Arden joked. "You won't be doing that when I'm in college, big woman!" Cassandra joked back.

Both mother and daughter then roughhoused as parent and child sometimes do when the child was as young as Cassandra. Cassandra even made things interesting by trying to climb up her mother and mess up her hair so that she looked like a mad scientist instead of a fallen Jedi. "You just had your brains run from your head, little one. Time to put them back in!" Arden giggled as she heaved her daughter over her head and hung her upside down before shaking to give the effect she wanted.

For an hour or so, this play continued between Arden and Cassandra Lyn and it was a wonderful time for both of them. But both were soon exhausted and Arden lied down on the bed they had been using as their prop. Cassandra, the intelligent but ever-faithful daughter, crawled up to her mother and cuddled her head so that she could hear her mother's heartbeat as she slept. It was the most comforting sensation a child could ever hope to hear or feel from their parents as they slept near them.

**Arriving to Onderon, Palpatine** knew from sensing her that Arden Lyn was here but he also sensed someone with her. This someone was too powerful for Palpatine to use Essence Transfer on them but he wondered how he might be able to use them to his advantage all the same. Then he thought back to the final words of Vice Admiral Paris Zaarin, whose father had led the Zaarin insurrection. He had mentioned a childbearing woman that he had fallen in love with and thanked for the love she gave.

Was Arden Lyn this woman? Was this presence he felt belonging to the child she procured with Paris Zaarin? Could this be why Kadann was so secretive in his final conversation to Palpatine about what he was hiding? But more importantly, was this why when Lumiya and Carner Jax were sent to kill them, was this why they didn't find anything?

Why would Kadann protect Arden Lyn long enough to birth and breastfeed her child until weaning was complete? How was it possible that they had helped provide her a start in a world where Palpatine could not reach her until after his resurrection, at least? He didn't know how he could answer these questions and with his revenge so close at hand, he truly didn't care at the moment. Skywalker would investigate later but for now, Palpatine's priority was making sure that Arden paid for her deeds.

"Master, are we facing her together or are you handling her by yourself?" Skywalker asked. "Stay by me just in case I need your help but if I don't, I want you to search for the source of that other presence I sense. Inform me of what it is and bring it to me if it's centered around a person and not an artifact," Palpatine answered. "I shall do that, Master," Luke replied.

Palpatine was no fool, even if he now had the pride and arrogance that came with restored youth. He knew Luke Skywalker had not fully fallen to the Dark Side, not yet anyways. The Sith Lord knew that the boy was trying to spy on him and find a ways by which to kill him. Quinlan Vos had tried to decipher the Dark Side and defeat Dooku with a similar strategy during the Clone Wars.

But he didn't mind waiting for the perfect time to rectify this mistake in his security, a mistake that would bite him in the back if he didn't do anything soon. First though, Arden Lyn and he soon secured her whereabouts and began heading in the directions he was given by a recruiter. "Slow down Master, so long as Arden has someone that needs to sleep she won't be going anywhere soon," Luke suggested. Palpatine halted altogether, initially about to turn on Skywalker before continuing on with his vengeance but the boy was right.

Arden Lyn was probably the only woman in the galaxy that didn't need more than two hours of meditation to have energy for months thanks to her hibernations. However, because of this, whoever or whatever was with her would be needing rest and that meant sleep for that individual. Smiling, he congratulated Skywalker on stopping him from making a serious mistake and continued more slowly. After all, even with his confidence now, Arden was still alert to the Force and the slightest provocation from him could ruin his plans unless he was too close by for escape.

The hotel where they stayed at was soon in sight and to his surprise, it was fairly near the steps of the Iziz Palace. It looked as though the first image of Iziz Palace was true and hopefully, the next two images were also true. But the will of the Force worked in more mysterious ways than even he could ever hope to know. If it decreed Arden would die, she would die on this day but if it didn't then she wouldn't.

**Though initially confused by** the youthfulness of it, Arden Lyn sensed the Emperor after having a little rest with her daughter cuddling beside her. However, she was no fool and gently lifted her daughter into her arms before taking her to the restroom in their hotel room. "Mommy, what are we doing?" Cassandra asked sleepily. "You remember that Emperor I told you about?" Arden replied.

That woke up Cassandra immediately for it could only mean one thing: that he had found them at long last. "You'll kick his ass like you did last time, right?" Cassandra demanded. "I don't know, he's younger now and likely faster and stronger than when we last met. But whatever you do, stay in this bathroom and do not let anyone see you and don't come out until I call you," Arden replied.

"Yes mommy, don't come out until you call and don't let anyone see me. Got it!" the little girl said. Arden let her go in and quickly locked the door the moment she closed it, knowing Cassandra would still be able to get out by unlocking it from her side. Shivering, Arden wondered how he managed to find her when Antinnis Tremayne had failed to find her after their encounter on Tython. But she reminded himself that even as an old man, Palpatine could've snapped the Inquisitor's neck any day.

As a result of that ferocious power and how well he held up in their last confrontation, she knew better than to underestimate him. She knew better than to think that he would perform as good as a young version of himself as he did as the old rotting man she remembered. Grabbing her lightsaber from the suitcase that she had under the bed, she prepared to face him in combat in the name of her daughter. Revenge and old scores didn't matter, not even the fact that Palpatine was with another Force-sensitive threw her off in the slightest.

It was either repel her enemies and thus protect Cassandra in the process, or die trying to do what was right at last. _Come on Palpatine, whatever are you waiting for!?_ she asked herself quietly.


	42. SW: ALC: TDD: Chapter Twenty-Three

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

For Palpatine, the scent of Arden Lyn's fear was enough to strengthen him but also to nauseate him. Whoever or whatever was with her was clearly of significant value to her to provoke this much fear and-protective instinct?-in her. But he ignored this and proceed to break down the door anyway, immediately being greeted by Arden's orange lightsaber afterward. He intercepted an overhead blow from her with his own cyan-blue lightsaber and rammed his enemy's blade into her face.

The blow landed near her right eye and put her through enough pain to place one hand over the wound whilst keeping the fight in Makashi form. "Pathetic," Palpatine mocked as he destroyed the lightsaber with a swift stroke of his own Makashi application. Then he sliced at Arden's belly and kicked her on the other side of her face with enough force to knock her on her back. "I warned you that in my youth, I would have been a match for you Arden Lyn," he hissed when he stood over her.

"And I told you to save the youthful reminisces for another time. Guess now is that time," Arden retorted, spitting blood at his boot after saying that. "You still hate me for not completing my end of our bargain, don't you?" he asked rhetorically. "Son of a bitch, you knew you didn't have the power to resurrect and wouldn't have wanted to even if you did," she snapped.

"Guilty as charged, Arden Lyn. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to be finishing you off now and my apprentice has to be looking around to see what it is you're hiding," he replied, smiling. He rose his lightsaber just in time to be distracted by Skywalker breaking into the bathroom and calling him over. Arden's fear indicated that whatever Palpatine sensed earlier was hidden there and he smiled, curious to see what it was.

"Master, I think you'll like this one quite a bit," Skywalker said which escalated Palpatine's interest. When he finally arrived to what Luke was looking at, he knew that his search had paid off well. Next to the toilet, crouched into fetal position for the best hiding possible, was a little girl that Palpatine knew to be Arden's daughter immediately. Suddenly, he had an idea and it was an idea so nasty and vengeful even by the standards of Sith that it gave him the widest grin he could possibly muster.

"Skywalker, stay here and make sure she doesn't try to escape. I've got some unfinished business with this little lady's mother," Palpatine ordered. Marching back to where Arden still lied clutching her wounded belly, the Dark Lord of the Sith knelt to reveal his idea to the ancient woman. "Please don't kill my daughter," she begged before he spoke, nearly crying in the process. Chuckling, he assured Arden Lyn that he was not going to kill her or at least, not yet.

"I am going to enslave her, subject her to the most cruel experiments of Dark Side powers that I can imagine. Her mind will break and her spirit will shatter until she is no more than a blank slate for me to write what I wish on her. She will become no more than an extension of my will, disposing of any and all enemies I send against her until such time as they no longer exist. Then, when every last ounce of her power has been spent on destroying my enemies and succeeding, I will destroy her myself!

This is my will, Arden Lyn: that you die knowing that your daughter will become my pawn, my slave more than even this slave Skywalker can ever hope to be. She will know no love, she will know no comfort, and no remorse. She will only know hatred, pain and suffering until she has emanated her last pitiful breath of life!" he hissed, his voice rising until he was yelling into her ear as he spoke. He watched as Arden's own pain and sorrow rose until tears were gushing out of her like waterfalls.

"Good, I have broken your body and I have destroyed your spirit. You did that to me years ago and now, I have done the same to you: the only enemy that has defeated me and lived," he added. By this time, he had risen up from his kneel and asked Skywalker to finish her off for him as he couldn't bear the sight of her alive anymore. As Skywalker went to do that, Palpatine tried prying the little girl out from where she hid but in her despair, the little child accidentally Force-pushed the older man down.

"You are strong in the Force, little one. I shall enjoy breaking you all the more," Palpatine said with glee as he rose back up. First, he rose her up by Force Choking her then he delivered a dosage of Force Lightning before pulling her towards him. To his surprise, she was still wide awake enough to see her mother and peril and scream out to her as Palpatine carried her away.

"Forget about your mother, she is a traitor and you are mine!" Palpatine demanded. "Normally, I obey my mother in the rule of never cursing but you are a fucking dickhead! Put me down, you bastard!" Cassandra screamed. Laughing, the Emperor of the Galactic Empire assured Cassandra he would be rectifying her opinion of him soon enough.

**As Arden lied on** the floor in a desperate attempt to heal her wounds, Skywalker stood over her with intent to kill her. But she sensed that he had not even begun to be consumed by the Dark Side unlike his supposed Master. "Arden Lyn, before you go, I want you to know that I'm on an undercover mission with the New Republic. I'm trying to do what I can to bust the Emperor's operations within so that the Empire can be destroyed for all time," he said after shutting off his saber and kneeling near her.

"Then why are you acting as the Emperor's executioner?" Arden asked. "Even if he suspects that I am trying to destroy him, I can't rebel against him outright. He would be able to kill me before I even did so much as scratch him, never mind wound him," Luke answered. "Then, you're still with that New Jedi Order?" she inquired.

"I am," he replied with a nod. Arden's heart beat anew with a sense of hope that Cassandra wouldn't be broken into a dumb drone of the Emperor, after all. "Then please promise me that you'll save her daughter?" she begged. If she was going to die in the darkness of her past deeds, she wanted to be sure that her sacrifice meant her daughter being levitated to redemption's light in her place. Luke bent close so that no one nearby would hear what he said to Arden Lyn next, which was calming.

"Arden Lyn, I give you my word that I will save your daughter. She will become a worthy addition to my Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 and perhaps even a very powerful warrioress of the Order. My sister will keep her safe there alongside her own children whilst this crisis has yet to pass. But once she's secured there, I will make it my life's work to destroy the Emperor so this never happens again.

"Whilst there is still breath in my body, I will never rest until I have plunged my blade into his damned chest and cast his soul into oblivion for all time. I will not forget your sacrifice nor will I forget what Palpatine has done to people like you in the past, in fact, I will avenge those very people. You have my word, as a Knight of the Jedi Order, that I will fight to that end or my death," he said. "Then go: I give my daughter to your sister's keeping and tell her I love her and to never forget me.

"For by remembering and what we had together, I will be immortal to my daughter. By allowing you to save her from the Emperor, I give her the gift that I could never hope to possess myself," she said. "And what gift is that?" he asked. "I fell from the grace of the Jedi because I tried to help Xendor understand the machinations of the Dark Side and succumbed to it in the process.

"By giving her to your Order's keeping of your accord, I raise my daughter back into the Light with my bare hands whilst remaining in Hell," she answered. "To love another person as unconditionally as you love your daughter and to be willing to protect her at risk of life and limb... Arden, that love in itself is the key to see the Light of Redemption even if you don't know it now," he told her. "Perhaps you're right but while you fight against him, please take a word of advice," she requested.

Nodding to acknowledge that he was listening, she continued. "Just because you have seen battle does not mean that your courage has been tried. I sense that yours has hardly been tried compared to me or even to the Emperor. And untried courage, even if backed by the skill of the Jedi, is no match for that kind of evil hatred," she said.

"I will remember, I promise," he vowed. "Then I think it's time you at least made my death quick. The Emperor will be expecting you to have killed me by now," she stated. "You aren't afraid?" he asked.

"I am but now that I know my daughter will be safe and will have a better future than I did when I was that young, my life-though ancient it is-has been completed. Kill me Skywalker and keep your act until you're ready to kill him, I go to join my father and the rest of those I love at last," she said. Calmly, she closed her eyes and braced herself for the inevitable strike of his lightsaber which would kill her. And when it finally did come, she felt his blade seared its way through her chest, into her bloodstream, then out between her shoulder blades all within a matter of seconds.

"If that doesn't kill you instantly, it'll kill you within minutes. That's always the result of that kind of blow from a lightsaber," he said. Then, remorse clearly clouding some of his thoughts, he marched off to rejoin the Emperor and Arden's daughter. "A few minutes... are all I need," she said weakly though he wasn't around to hear this.

Returning near Iziz Palace, Skywalker wasn't surprised that Palpatine would demand what took him so long. "I was reminiscing on what I knew about how she had been useful to you and wondering for a bit how it was a shame such a fine asset was forced to die. Then I thought about the best way to kill her cleanly whilst enjoying her pain at the same time," he lied quickly. "Hm, perhaps there is hope for you as a Sith Lord yet though it was a little more obvious your father would become one," Palpatine said.

"I am nothing like my father," Luke warned him. "Of course not, I would not have had an interest in you at your father's suggestion of corrupting you if you were," Palpatine replied. A trooper came up and though irritated, Palpatine allowed him to state what he had to say. By this time, Cassandra was passed out with her head resting on the Emperor's shoulder while he carried her.

"Sir, there's been a breach at Imperial Center. It seems as though the New Republic is trying to claim that world back for itself," he said. At first, Palpatine didn't know how to answer that message since he hadn't been expecting Coruscant to come under attack. Frankly, even Luke didn't imagine the New Republic trying that despite the need to destroy the so-called Galaxy Gun.

"Prepare a shuttle for me to return there. Apprentice, take the child to my facility and see to it that experimentation on her begins immediately," Palpatine ordered at last. Luke nodded as Palpatine handed the unconscious child to him, her aura surprising the Jedi as he received her. "Yes Master," he said.

Palpatine disappeared at that point and Luke first ordered the pilot to take them to Yavin 4 and wave up a flag of truce. "There's a delivery I have to make. The Emperor wants me to set an example to the Jedi," he added. "Yes sir," the pilot stated.

Yavin 4 was not as far away from Onderon as Luke thought it would be but it worked all the better for him. When the shuttle was permitted to land, Luke immediately grabbed the girl and rushed off to greet his sister. "Luke, who have you rescued for us this time?" Leia demanded immediately. "This child is the daughter of Arden Lyn, her only child," Luke replied.

"The same Arden Lyn that defeated Palpatine at Coruscant, seven and a half years ago then disappeared?" Leia asked. "Yes, before she died she made me promise that her child would be safe with you. Please take care of her, Leia?" Luke replied. Leia nodded and immediately had her husband Han take her to a guest room where she would remain hidden.

"I gotta go back now, the Emperor will be expecting me at Byss," Luke said. "Very good, keep up the act and it may get us somewhere good," Leia told him. After he left, Leia saw her twin children run up to her and ask who the guest was. "Someone who will be staying with us while she adjusts to not having her mother anymore," Leia replied before shepherding her twins back in.

**Awakening from being unconscious** at last, Cassandra Lyn was surprised to see herself surrounded by a relatively friendly environment. There was food that she was more than willing to eat on the nightstand and plenty of medicinal water to wash it down which worked wonders for her headache. "You be careful there little one or else the medicine in that water will knock you right back out," an older man warned her. Jumping out of fright, she immediately demanded to know who he was.

"I should have seen it coming but don't jump too greatly out of your skin, I'm Han Solo. I'm an officer in the New Republic and you're in a base we've established for our safety. You're safe here too thanks to my pal Luke who brought you here when you were knocked out," the man replied. "Luke?" Cassandra asked.

"He is often called Skywalker by his enemies," Han answered. Then her memory came back, the memory of the one called Skywalker and of her mother being killed before her eyes. Of Palpatine vowing to break Cassandra until she was his servant and one he could use expendably. "Oh mommy!" she screamed, putting her hands to her face to try and shield her tears.

"Hey, it's going to be alright. You'll see: we'll beat the Emperor again and we'll make sure he stays dead this time. As long as you remain with us, there's the guarantee that you will be safe from him," he assured her. "Thank you sir but may I ask what planet I am on?" she asked.

"You're on Yavin 4, in an ancient Massassi Temple that's been acquired for military purposes by the New Republic. Every one of these soldiers will fight to the death to protect a civilian such as yourself and my children," he answered. "No one is ever truly safe despite what they may think," she told him. "True but there are always ways to improve safety so that that's not as painful when it becomes a reality," he explained.

Cassandra didn't know or understand why her mind was working this way, it was like the trauma of her mother's death had given her an enlightenment of sorts rather than grief. Granted, she was becoming a little more stoic than she had been before but she didn't know it was happening. "Yet when it does become a reality, what do you do then?" she continued. Laughing, he was surprised to see that a six-going-on seven year old girl was asking this of someone his age and smuggling prowess.

"Anything you can, anything you can. Hey, what's your name kid?" he replied. "Cassandra. Pleasure to meet you, I guess," she said.

She was being honest in her uncertainty, she hardly knew him and hadn't spent a lot of time around people aside from her mother and teachers. Han laughed and said that she could consider it a pleasure if she wanted to. "I've never met a girl as young as you and yet as mature as you are," he added. "I guess that's what I get for hanging out with a mother like Arden Lyn," she replied.

"Living a fugitive life that isn't even yours sucks, doesn't it?" he asked. "In her case, not really. But you would know about that sort of life?" she replied. "Long story made short, you have no idea," he said with a smile.

Cassandra and Han both started laughing and it wasn't an unnatural laugh either. Rather, it was the laugh of an older man sympathizing with a child who had made the sympathetic experience some fun. "Do you think it'll be safer that I stay out of this little war until the Emperor is no more?" she asked after the laughing. "That's what my wife and her brother Luke would recommend," Han admitted.

"In that case, I'll stay out but I'll be wanting Jedi training in return. That way, I won't have to hide the next time a big war comes along if you get my meaning," she said. "Luke said he already planned on doing that when he got a motion for a Jedi Academy put through," he told her. "Perfect, hate to be a dumbass in distress if I can help it," she teased.

Cassandra didn't know it but her standing in the nexus of the Force meant that she would be able to draw on the power of the Dark Side without actually falling into it. In the years to follow, she would train as a Jedi Knight and discover this power more and more. Along the way, she eventually obtained a friendship with Jaina Solo and participated in the Yuuzhan Vong War. She would be active in the Wars and skirmishes to follow and even temporarily leading the Jedi Order.

Kadann's prophecy for her destiny meant that she would eventually live to see the rise of the One Sith Empire under Darth Krayt. But in all that time, even unto her death just twenty years or so before the career of Cade Skywalker, she maintained a kind and gentle but sometimes stoic life-view. Despite her service to the Order and Palpatine's death on Onderon, one year after her escape, she guessed that this was a scar from her trauma that remained with her unto her dying days. "I guess you could say that despite his holocron remaining now, he left something even bigger behind," she once said.

She would have a husband and three children who all would become Jedi due to their own connections to the Force. Their children would influence and guide the Galactic Alliance, even participating in the fight against Krayt's Sith Empire. The line of Arden Lyn would live on even unto the ending of the galaxy, influencing the Light and the Dark Sides of the Force for good or ill. But all that is a tale for another day...

**The spirit of Depa** Billaba had sensed the death of Arden Lyn long before it happened and now that she was at its threshold thanks to the young man called Skywalker, she watched intently. Time was no longer of the essence in the netherworld nor did she think it ever would be. After all, time was a mortal concept for they cared about it enough to figure out when they might die. Of course, this knowledge didn't help Depa when she was killed by the Yuuzhan Vong Onimi but that was exceptional.

Not everyone in the galaxy knew about the Yuuzhan Vong and for certain, no one knew about the truce that Thrawn had established with them towards the last years of Depa's mortal life. But to mortals, Arden Lyn would have been dying in a matter of minutes though it would seem like eternity. Surrounding Depa were Arden's family as well as Arden's final lover and the father of her daughter, Paris Zaarin. "How long before she joins us?" Paris asked.

"You know better than to think about time here in the realm of the dead, Paris Zaarin. But if you insist, only a matter of mortal minutes which can be any length of time to us spirits," Depa answered. "Good, I'd hate for it to be long but if it turns out to be that way then it turns out that way," he stated. "No worries kid, we'll all be one big family except for Cassandra when Arden arrives," Arden's father said behind him.

"You really think so, old man?" Paris inquired. "Yes, I have already accepted you as family for the way you treated my daughter when you were alive. I never really did like Xendor being around her due to the Kashi Mer family tending to be a little more... abusive towards women as they got older. Unfortunately, much as she loved him when she was with him, he was hardly an exception in the end," Arden's father explained.

When Paris asked where Xendor was, he was told that he only needed to know that Xendor was living out eternity in a punishment fit for his crimes. For eternity, he would live in perpetual madness of the kind where he would be torn to pieces and put back together again and again. Paris accepted that answer to the question and just in time for Arden to heave out her last breath of life soon after. "She'll be back in our arms within moments now, excited?" Paris asked her father, who nodded agreement.


	43. SW: ALC: TDD: Epilogue

**Epilogue**

As Arden lied on the hotel room that would see her death, the seconds of the minutes before Master Skywalker's stab worked its effects on her, she reflected on her life. It all started with her memories as a little child and the good ones at that too. The vision of her past as it went by her continued in how she was raised to use Terras Kasi and all the training of a Jedi Sentinel. She remembered loving her master in the way that a daughter might have loved her father.

That was when she was hit with the memories of Xendor and their love-life together. How he had proposed to her under a bright, starlit sky and married her the following day. The oath they took upon being married and their honeymoon unions soon after the wedding ended gloriously. Their attempts at children with the closest being two or three stillbirths due to the shock and trauma of birth.

But also the memory of Loki the Destroyer and how he had gotten his revenge on Xendor for an earlier offense on Columus. How he had used his superior strength and power (he was three times the height of normal human men with nearly seven-hundred pounds of pure muscle) had won the day. She remembered how her father had reluctantly forced to face her at Irkalla, destroy her forces, and place her in the trance for twenty-five thousand years despite dying in the process. "I'm coming home daddy, I'm coming home at last," she said.

She also remembered that she would be meeting her mother for the first time now and she would also meet all her ancestors again. If she was additionally lucky, she would be reunited with Paris since she knew that she couldn't be reunited with Xendor. He had refused to recant his evil deeds before he died and as such, was likely being punished in the netherworld of Chaos for eternity. Admittedly, she was somewhat disappointed but she had to remember that he was a descendant of the same line that had created the Kashi Mer Talisman.

Not only that but they had given it power so immense that Arden feared it too much to keep it around after her fight with Onimi. But then she realized that the visions she had been given by the Talisman made sense now: they were visions of the events that led to her ultimate. They revealed the reasons why the Jedi had condemned Arden and Xendor and why her father fought her when he did. These revelations, cruel and evil as they were, now made sense and she could finally rest easy in the knowledge that these deeds were long faded.

True that Kadann and his Prophets had seen to the preservation of the memory of the events but that was all they were: a memory. "Thank you Kadann, thank you Paris, thank you Depa. And my dear daughter Cassandra, thank you for being the star of my life," she said to herself, whispering it. But the whisper meant more to her than anything else in the universe had meant to her before this day.

By the time guests in the hotel she lied in reported what had happened to her and requested a medic, it was already too late. Just as she could hear them slowly approaching, just as they were about to enter her room, she exhaled a breath of life for the last time. To the medics that were investigating, she was now officially dead but for the will of the Force... For the will of the Force, Arden Lyn had found a form of salvation from the deeds of her past after waited twenty-five long millenniums for it.


	44. SW: ALC: AOD: Prologue & Chapter One

Star Wars

The Arden Lyn Chronicles

Ashes of Despair

By

Christopher Cleveland & Diego Feliu

**Prologue**

The sight of the woman in the pain of labor was far more intimidating to Jedi Master Awdrysta Pina then he thought it would be. Last time he and his wife had had a child, he had been away on expeditions for the Republic and didn't arrive for three weeks afterward. This was nothing that a simple swing of his spear or a stroke of his sword could fix, not amount of battle-courage was helpful either. She had been struggling for days and nothing the Jedi Guardian had experienced could save him from the panic that her screaming and her begging began to set in.

"Someone help her, she's been like this for three days!" Master Pina demanded. "Master Pina, we're doing all we can for her but I'm afraid that if she keeps this up... She'll die if she keeps this up much longer and the child with her, the effort is too much for both of them," a nurse replied. "Master Pina, I suggest that you take your daughter out of here while we help your wife," another suggested.

"Ladies, I think you might want to take a look at this," a boy shouted from behind a window. The nurses rushed in, followed by Master Pina with his daughter left behind for her safety. Unfortunately, the scene that Pina arrived to was not a very good one even for him to behold. His wife had finally given birth but the baby was malformed and had died soon after.

Through the Force, young Pina could sense that his wife would soon follow. "Patricia, stay with me!" he begged of her. "Take care of our daughter, please. You are her Guardian just as much as you are the Jedi Guardian of the Order," she asked him.

"I promise I will take care of her, I promise that she will grow up to be a most powerful warrior of the Order," he answered passionately. "Then my life is complete, knowing I have birthed another addition to the Jedi Order," she stated proudly. After that, she exhaled a breath of life for the last time and perished from the trauma of the childbirth combined with grief for the failure of delivery. "Doctor, what gender would the child have been if it survived?" Pina asked.

"It would have been a son, as you had always wanted," the doctor answered. Not any more than I wanted a daughter Pina thought but didn't say. "Where is the steward of my family?" Pina asked aloud after moments of silence. "Here Master," the steward answered.

"Take my daughter to Ossus and leave her in the care of my brother and his wife. She will find a better family start with them than she would remaining in my care," he ordered. "But Master, she is your daughter!" the steward replied. "You forget that I am a Jedi Guardian which means I can't be there to raise her and I don't want her alone for possibly months at a time," Pina pointed out.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" the steward asked. "I don't want to do this but I know I have to," Pina answered. "You may regret it someday, sir, if you don't mind me saying so," the steward warned. "Believe me, I already do regret what I am doing but take this to my brother when you deliver my daughter there.

"It's a letter explaining the instructions I'd like obeyed in exchange for my daughter remaining in their keeping," Pina said as he handed a letter. "Yes sir," the steward said. Pina didn't even bother to say goodbye to his only surviving child, one last time. It would have made the parting near-impossible...

**Chapter One**

Sixteen years of training as a Jedi Sentinel was hardly anything to brag about. For seventeen-year-old Arden Lyn, this training was practically part of her own being now. "Arden, concentrate your power into lifting this boulder as high as you can," her uncle asked her. To the young and brash teenager, this was nothing short of an insult considering her potential as it was.

Lifting the rock as high as she could, she continued to concentrate until it was so far above that it would seem no more than a pebble to the naked eye. However, when asked to slowly bring it down, Arden also did this with almost no effort at all like it had when she was a little girl. "You've done well, Arden. You're almost ready for the Initiation Trials to be entered into the Jedi Order," he told her.

"Uncle Judah, you've told me that for quite some time now. When do I start the Trials?" she asked him. "At the next Revival of Life festival in two months, I presume. There's no reason that the Guardian of Ossus wouldn't accept you this time," he answered.

The Initiation Trials were the yearly gatherings that the Lyn Clan as well as all the other eighteen-hundred clans of Ossus joined. Its purpose was simple: take the most potent candidates and see what class of Jedi Knight they belonged to. Women in these candidates were more commonly integrated into the Order as Jedi Sentinels, who focused more on Force power than physical skill. By contrast, men were selected to join the Jedi Warrior class that was just the opposite.

That didn't stop both from having excellent blade skills or a decent education in the abilities that a Jedi Knight could expect to be granted by the Force. However, this would not be their specialty as it would be for the Jedi Guardian which was a class designed for a single purpose. That purpose was to be able to use their weapons to counter Warriors and their shield to counter Sentinels that went rogue. As a result, the Order took only the most powerful and diversified survivors of the Initiation Trials to train them as Jedi Guardians and there was no sexual discrimination on who could become Guardians.

After all, such was the strength of the Guardian's commitment to the Jedi Order that those who were initiated would be asked to forsake all identity forevermore whether they were man or woman. This would be symbolized by the covering of every bit of flesh, even the face which would have a grey and relatively plain mask to cover what the Guardian's hood didn't. However, because there was no way to tell without the Initiation Trials, everyone accepted would be given a task at random. The method by which they completed the task would reveal their true connection and thus their rank.

Despite that lack of discrimination, it was considered wise to train women for the role of the Sentinel and men for the role of the Warrior whenever possible. Any disobedience to that rule was either taken as a sign of a Guardian or a lack of attunement to the Force. But on occasion, there were one or two warriors that completed their task with Bogan, the darker nature of the Force itself. Upon this discovery, the initiate would either be banished or executed immediately according to severity.

But Arden Lyn had no intention of disappointing the Order nor being refused for the thirteenth time. In the months that followed her uncle's final test, she trained mind and body to ready herself for whatever task the Seers of the Trials committed her to. So intent was her training that when her uncle told her that the time had come, it didn't feel like it had. It felt like it was still just another day of training. "Just accept it, we have to get you to the Town Square on time if you don't want to be refused for lack of punctuality," he told her.

In his chariot, they arrived within two minutes of when the Seers of the Trials would call role for those volunteering to the Initiation. As usual, the boy who beared the scroll with the names of those who were participating came up and unrolled his piece of flimiplast to boom out names as loud as possible. The first to be called up was a boy Arden remembered as being more muscle than brains as he had demonstrated when he tried to put the moves on her, two years ago. "Icarus, son of the House of Boagrius!" the scroll reader called.

He answered by stepping forth and raising his spear in reply to the call of the Scroll Reader. "Danzigorro, son of the House of Potts!" the Scroll Reader continued. rose his pair of swords and marched beside Icarus as the Scroll Reader prepared to call another name. "Blendri, daughter of the House of Messala!" he stated.

The woman raised her hand and marched to stand beside Danzigorro who stood beside Icarus in turn. Arden smiled, somehow suspecting that none of these three would survive the task that they were to be given. However, the next name sparked her interest considering the fact that her uncle had taught her only to bear disgust for the name behind it. "Xendor, son of the House of Kashi Mer!" the Reader called.

"Hail the Dynasty of the Ancient Ones, let their power grant me victory!" Xendor boldly stated in reply. Then he marched to stand beside Blendri, who shared the famed disgust of the name 'Kashi Mer' with Icarus and Danzigorro. "Sethul, son of the House of Asaiage!" the Reader continued. Sethul answered and stood beside Xendor and was the first one to have no apparent discomfort in that.

"Tun, son of the House of Bohoi!" the Reader called once more. Eight had been selected for the test and Arden knew that her name would be called now as she had not been called before. "Arden, daughter of the House of Lyn!" the Reader shouted. With her sheathed katana, once the weapon of her father, she stepped forth proudly and took her place next to Tun.

"Participants of the Initiation Trials!" the OverSeer of the Trials began. _Same old speech and story as last time though for once, I've been accepted_ Arden observed quietly. "You have all been selected out of nine-hundred others because you have the greatest commitment to anyone on Ossus! Be proud that you have been selected but always remember that you could die during your mission!

"These tasks will not be easy, painless, or leisurely by any means. It will not be shameful to be afraid of the perils that lie ahead! However, if you should not let that fear consume you but control it then you shall grow powerful and understand what it means to serve the Ashla," the OverSeer added. "If this was to be easy, painless, or leisurely, I would have made sure never to come," Arden heard Xendor whisper.

Arden smirked, admitting that his boldness (while unneeded) certainly made him stand out from the rest of the crowd. "At least half of you will perish in the attempt to conduct your task but don't be ashamed! To perish in the name of Ashla, even without becoming a true Jedi, is an honor that anyone without attunement to the Force would give their right arm for if the Republic never existed. However, victory and initiation into the Jedi Order shall be an even greater honor for the survivors still.

"It is our job and our right to protect the peace and enforce the virtuous laws of the Republic. Consider everything you do here an honor for even in failure to complete your task, you will have shown a willingness to die for the Republic. A willingness that continues to inspire such individuals as Jedi Guardian Awdrysta Pina to keep on fighting in the name of Ashla!" the OverSeer continued. _Why do I feel like I should know that name?_ Arden asked herself, confusedly.

"You will now each be assigned your task, be wary of the perils that lay ahead and may Ashla see fit for you to complete your task!" the OverSeer stated. The Scroll Reader returned to his place, having been asked to step down in favor of the OverSeer's speech. "Icarus, you have been charged to go the the Mountains of Hyperion and bring back the ancient moonflower. Be wary the dragon that guards the glittering treasure or perish before its foul breath as others have!" the Reader stated.

Icarus nodded, marching off to the cargo ship that would take him to the planet Salem where the Mountains were located. _The dragon kills all who have less than half a brain, he'll be chow before he can touch a petal on those flowers_ Arden thought with a smile. "Danzigorro, you are charged with the task of going into the Unknown Regions to the Dead Worlds! Bring back the claws and teeth of one of the older and more aggressive rancor beasts that reside in those worlds!" the Reader said.

Danzigorro gulped slightly but nodded in acceptance of this task which none had completed before. _No one with so much as a vein of fear will survive those beasts for more than a few seconds_ Arden observed. "Blendri, you are charged with the task of charming the ancient Hooded-Snake. Sleep in the nest that bears its young should you be accepted by the mother, bring a shedded scale back after spending the night!" the Reader told Blendri.

Arden knew Xendor was next and he knew it too, judging by the giddiness that was contained only to his eyes. "Xendor, you are charged with perhaps one of the most important tasks that we can ever hope to ask of an Initiate! You are charged with the task of beating Loki the Destroyer on his homeworld, the uncharted forest moon that no one dares venture except for you!" the Reader stated. Xendor smiled and nodded zealously, raising his fists high in the excitement of the task that lied ahead of him.

"Either he has nothing left to lose except his life or else he is just a stupid little boy who has not seen the horrors of combat," Tun hissed. "He is a better warrior than we give him credit for, my friend," Sethul replied. "Tun and Sethul, you have both been charged with the task of marching to the Temple of the Moon and acquisitioning the Aquarius Crystal!" the Reader told the duo. Clasping their hands together, the friends enthusiastically smiled and accepted this task readily.

There was naught but grave silence as the two of them left to complete their task like all the others who had been announced. But even the whispers of worry for the others and thankfulness for Xendor's assignment were silenced. After all, Arden Lyn had been raised to be the princess of one of the wealthiest noble families on Ossus. The task before her, none doubted, would be very difficult if not nearly impossible indeed.

"Arden Lyn, you have been charged with the task of traversing the Ash Plains of Tython, entering the ruins of the ancient Je'daii Temple. At its heart, you must obtain the Black Firestone but be wary of the ancient Bogan spirits that reside within. Allow the elder Children of Ashla to guide you and you shall emerge victorious! Aside from Xendor's task to defeat Loki the Destroyer, yours may be the most difficult task so take advantage of any help," the Reader stated, concluding his part in the ritual.

Arden nodded, emboldened that her task could be anywhere near as difficult and dangerous as Xendor's. After all, she had heard about the great deeds of the young man especially of how he fought down a raiding clan of pirates that threatened shipments to Columus by himself. Her transport, whether through the will of the Force or mere chance, was the transport Xendor would be using as well. After all, the forest moon that Loki lived on was not too far off the path to the ancient world Tython.

Thankfully, there was no rule stating that the Initiates couldn't talk to each other along the way if such an incidence happened._ I think that may be because it would be a boring trip if that were the case_ Arden joked to herself silently. "We two have the greatest tasks of the other initiates. Guess it's only fitting that we share the same transport," Xendor spoke directly. "Xendor, son of the House of Kashi Mer, we meet at last," Arden replied, grinning.

"Indeed, I have heard great things about your family and their benefit to the planet Ossus," he stated. "Can't say the same for you," she admitted. "No one can, it's not surprising considering my family's legacy as wielders of Bogan," he confessed. "They were users of Bogan?" she asked.

"You see this glass prism around my neck? It's the infamous Kashi Mer Talisman, said to give power to those who wield it in exchange for their soul," he answered as he showed her. "Has it done that?" she inquired. "According to legend, it has but I have yet to feel any such effects if it's supposed to be instantaneous," he replied.

"I've heard it said that artifacts like that don't do their damage instantaneous but rather, over the course of several years," she suggested. "I too have heard such claims but I've yet to see any actual proof of it for myself," he admitted. "So long as you use the Talisman minimally, I highly doubt either of us will see the truth of that before the end of our lives," she said. "Perhaps and perhaps not but either way, I'm glad that Master Pina saved my life when the Jedi came to destroy the Kashi Mer," he stated.

"What is it with that guy and the things he does?" she asked. "Unlike most members of the Council, Pina follows a very strict adherence to the more peaceful doctrines of the Order. Where the rest of the Council believe that worlds should be conquered, he doesn't believe in that crude method. Rather, he believes we should attempt to negotiate treaties with people already settled on those worlds and use war as a last resort only," he answered.

"We know that the Chancellor of the Republic and the Jedi Council support the exact opposite view, I wonder why he hasn't been banished yet," she admitted. "Because even in his old age, the strength of the Council and the Chancellor are no match for his power in the Force. The only trained warrior that I can think of that'd stand a chance, ironically enough, is Loki the Destroyer," he replied. _Then he must have been truly incredible when he was a young man_ she thought quietly.

"Yet you go off to defeat or destroy Loki the Destroyer on his homeworld. With all that put together, what do you think would happen if Pina had been asked to beat him instead?" she asked. "At the very least, I'd see a draw with both of them too exhausted to keep fighting. But at the very most, I'd dare say-due to his superior cunning-Pina would emerge victorious though with great strain," he replied.

"You seem to really desire living up to him," she observed aloud. "Shouldn't everyone? It's because of him that we haven't had as much war against outsiders of the Republic as we could have. Time and again, he's stepped into negotiate treaties between the Republic's ambassadors and the free peoples that live outside its view of civilization and order," he countered.

"He once said that he wasn't sticking to the peaceful doctrines of the Order because it was more tempting than the warlike contrast the Council appreciated. But rather, it was because sticking to peace-when possible-was the right thing to do but we should hone our battle skills in, just in case. Strangely enough though, I find myself wondering what it is about Pina that I should be familiar with," she confessed.

"Do you have any idea why?" he inquired. "No, all I remember from when I was a little kid was my mother dying and my father leaving me with my aunt and uncle. Yet every time I hear the name 'Awdrysta Pina', I find myself wondering," she explained. "Only thing I remember from when I was a little kid was my family being cut to ribbons by the Jedi and Pina protecting me at spear-point," he said.

"Did you actually see what happened with your parents or are you guessing that with seeing it happen to everyone else?" she asked. "Well, I saw my Dad get his head chopped off by a Jedi Warrior and my mother being impaled with two spears and another sword if that counts. I also got to see my younger cousins get their heads crushed with rocks by Jedi Sentinels," he answered. "But why?" she inquired, nauseous from hearing all that.

"The Jedi and the Republic fear what they don't understand and they didn't understand how the Kashi Mer Dynasty could have formed an advanced civilization whilst worshipping Bogan. So they destroyed them on the premise that their view of the Force didn't agree with the Jedi love of Ashla. Cruel but simply what we humans are wired to do: we destroy what we fear, misunderstand, hate, or even envy," he said. "Young master Xendor, we'll be arriving at the rendezvous point for your extraction in three hours!" the transport driver chimed in.

"Very good, let me know when we're half an hour away and I'll begin readying my belongings immediately!" Xendor replied. The driver nodded and continued on the trek that had seemed slow but, thanks to the conversation, had zoomed by really fast. "It's strange how time works when you're just having a conversation or when you're meditating, is it not?" Arden asked. "Indeed it is, Arden, indeed it is," Xendor answered with a firm nod.

"Maybe there was a more subtle reason why the Jedi wanted to eliminate Kashi Mer than just because of their worship of Bogan," she suggested. "What do you mean?" he asked. "According to legend, the original god named Kashi Mer was the God of Time. Equalled and surpassed only by the Spirits of Mortis and the Chronicler respectively, any who could harness his power understood time.

"At least, understood the mechanisms of it and could use it to either strengthen their bodies in much the same way as Force Valor does or deteriorate their opponents' abilities," she answered. Xendor thought about that, remembering that the main obsession of many Kashi Mer humans had been the philosophical and scientific understanding of the essence of Time itself. They had wondered why it was that time could have the power to slowly destroy or rapidly create existing objects in the galaxy. Had they been close to discovering it, had they succeeded when he was a child but were stopped by the Jedi because they had ill-intent for its use?

"Of all the people I hoped would meet my philosophical match, a woman was the least expected," he admitted after some thinking. "All my life, people have told me that it's not right for a woman to be imagining anything other than the way of the Sentinel and a life raising children. I get fed up with the latter more easily than the former but both piss me off," she stated. "Can't imagine why," he agreed.

Both of them laughed and some more talking occurred between them before the driver made the announcement that Xendor requested. "Looks like it's time for my to get my sword and my Talisman. I hope our paths cross again, Arden Lyn: I'd hate for this to be the only philosophical debate we have together," he said. Just then, a vision flooded across Arden's mind and it foretold that they would indeed meet again though it also showed details that startled her.

"I have already foreseen us doing that," was all she said about it to him. "How is that possible?" he asked. "When people say or do certain things before my eyes, sometimes, I get a glimpse of whether or not I will be crossing paths with them again or if something else is meant to happen. It's a power that I have had for as long as I can remember and I've yet to understand its working," she answered.

"I'll admit that I have a strange power of being able to perform better when actually in battle than I can when I'm just training for a battle. I don't know if it's the Talisman at work when that happens or just an accidental use of Force Valor, but I've also had it for as long as I can remember. Perhaps someday, we'll both find out the answers to the secrets of our powers," he stated. "I look forward to that day when we do," she replied.

"Good meeting you, Arden Lyn. May the spirits of Ashla protect you on your journey to find the Black Firestone," he told her. "And may the spirits of Ashla protect you from the dark Bogan spirits that surround Loki the Destroyer," she replied. "Bogan spirits surrounding a fallen god?

"I think not," he joked. Arriving to the transport that would take him the rest of the way, he marched off with pride and joy at the thrill of his mission. But in him, Arden had foreseen a future like no other: it was as though their lives were bound to be intertwined forevermore. _Is he my future husband or something?_ she asked herself silently. After she had survived the initiation and joined the Order, she would ask him then for certain.


	45. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

For Awdrysta Pina, trips beyond the space occupied by the Republic had become too common to truly mean anything to him anymore. Having forsaken the robes of the Guardian, fifteen years before, the old Jedi Master seldom ever returned to the Temple on Ossus or Tython. When he did return to the former, it was for Council meetings and they seldom turned well. However, when he returned to the latter, it was so that his sister-in-law could deliver news of his daughter's well-being.

Though she was officially a Follower of Palawa, thanks to her life with his brother, her Force-sensitivity meant that she should be initiated into the Trials by now. Bumping into his sister-in-law, he asked her if she had still been following his daughter closely. "When I can and where I can, I have been watching her all her life. Patricia would be proud to see her now," she replied with a smile.

"I am glad to hear that, I have become an old and bitter fool thanks to my time without her," he admitted glumly. "Though old you are, you're not like me yet. I am the Hag of Ossus, much as I hate confessing it to anyone," she joked quietly. "Even so, you have remained beautiful as ever," he told her.  
"You wouldn't be saying that if you got the chance to meet her," she warned him. "Then let me see her so I can say differently," he retorted with a smile. It made the older woman giggle and laugh though what she told him was fascinating. "She's taking an Initiation Trial rumored to be taking place at Tython although I don't think you should hold me to my word,," she said.

"I'm on my way to Tython to meditate in the Ash Plains, myself," he admitted. "Then perhaps you'll meet a strapping young girl on your way there," she said. "I'll know her when I see her, won't I?" he asked. Lucia, his sister-in-law, nodded and told him to be safe in his meditation as the Ash Plains were not known for being a friendly place for people.

"No worries, I have done it many times and I have the feeling I'll be doing it many times more before I die," he told her. She embraced him as siblings would and kissed his bearded cheek before he went to the transport that would take him to Tython. With his spear in tow, Lucia watched as he carried it by leaning it on one shoulder with the same ease he had seen when he'd won Patricia's heart. Can it be twenty-two years already since those two met, seventeen since they had their daughter?

Where does the time go? the old woman asked herself. Shaking her head at the insanity of such a thought, she decided to remain in Ossus until the next transport arrived. She was not eager to return to her younger brother and his evergrowing family just yet, after all. And besides, the night skies of Ossus were a beauty to behold at this time in the night at any rate.

**Arriving at the** unnamed forest moon where Loki the Destroyer reigned supreme, Xendor had to admit that his breath was stuck in his lungs at first sight. The redwood trees that made up the forest must have easily been 36.57 meters tall or more. As if that wasn't bad enough, they were spaced a meter apart from each other so it was difficult to see anything. _No wonder he prefers this sort of place over civilization: it's the perfect habitat for an ambush on your enemies_ he observed silently.

Immediately, Xendor unsheathed his Kashi Mer katana and told the pilot that he could park the transport on higher and safer ground if he wished. "My orders are actually to leave you alone with no help until you report completion of your task or you're gone more than a month," the pilot replied. "Alright, you do that then if you want to do it now. I'll not have you defy the orders of the OverSeer," Xendor stated.

After the transport left, Xendor walked slowly around with his sword held in readiness for anything to happen. As if that wouldn't have been good enough, he slowed his pace so that his walking didn't muffle important sounds like the charge of a giant man like Loki the Destroyer. Surprisingly though, he heard nor sensed anything from the fallen god who was sure to have heard the transport. "Talisman of the Kashi Mer, reveal to me what I need to know about Loki the Destroyer," Xendor asked the artifact tied around his neck after sometime.

_Loki the Destroyer was born the son of the God of Order named Arkanus and his polar opposite, Stygia, when she decided to mate with him during his long slumber. When he was born, he had the phenomenal strength and heart of his father but chaotic desire like his mother. So disappointed was Stygia in seeing that he had his father's heart and so saddened was his father to see his mother's lust for destruction within him that both banished him to our plane. Despite having only the immortality to prevent old age or disease, he does have one connection that allows him to see his parents every year._

_That connection lies within his sword which gives him the power to withstand the full glory of his divine parents without their consent every time they've come to this world. Destroy the sword and you also destroy his invincibility against mortal weapons_ it told him. _How do I force him to use it so I can destroy it?_ he asked it telepathically. _Easy enough, simply trick him to losing his ax or his hammer and he'll put the remaining one aside to use the sword_ it answered.

Xendor kept up his slow stalk-like pace through the forest, making sure to look in every direction. This was Loki's homeworld, his domain, and being immortal meant that he had had more than enough time to explore every last inch of this moon and memorize the paths that could be traversed. "Talisman of the Kashi Mer, upon my engagement with Loki the Destroyer... begin granting me the strength of Bogan," Xendor said after a while. It was a blessing he had remembered instinctively at this stage of his life and he felt that the Talisman's power did indeed explain his strength in actual battles.

Training was where one saw more of a weakling, a helpless man who suffered from a condition of dwarfism that was abnormal of Kashi Mer humans. After all, it was common for a Kashi Mer male to be between 6'4 and 7'2 with pure, proportionate muscle-weight due to the harsh climate on their world. Female Kashi Mer humans were also exceptionally tall though the males still were taller as was common of all Humans: they had the average of 5'7 to 6'3. Unfortunately, whether due to a malfunction in the gene that provoked height or something else, Xendor was a meager 5'5.

Luckily, his sword was designed to suit virtually all heights and adjusted to his below-average height with ease after he had accepted from his foster father. As if that wasn't good enough, his ability to transform his sword's scabbard into another duplicate of the sword was additionally helpful to him. Having done that shortly after arriving to Loki's domain, Xendor continued to keep his vigil by having his swords protect his flanks and his eyes look around to his rear and front. Days and nights slowly passed by whilst Xendor kept his constant watch, the Talisman keeping him awake with Bogan power.

Four days passed before Xendor even got the slightest clue of Loki the Destroyer's presence on this forest moon. The path of destruction he left in his wake was immense, the redwood trees bent and shattered as though they were twigs (which they probably were to the fallen god). But what really began to demoralize Xendor was the size of the footprints Loki left behind. "That's easily a size 42 foot right there!" he thought aloud, exclaiming surprise.

_It's actually a size 39 but it is massive all the same_ the Talisman chimed in. "The man must easily be 7'6 at least, maybe more. Actually, why don't you tell me the exact measure?" Xendor said. _You're exactly two feet short of the mark but other than that, you'll also need to know that he is nearly a thousand pounds of pure muscle; due to his hate, this is relatively good looking_ it said.

"Great: Loki the Destroyer is nine feet and two inches tall, is nearly a thousand pounds of pure muscle and can wield a full-size battle ax and a warhammer in simultaneity. As if that wasn't good enough, he has a sword to match the size of his body that I'm supposed to destroy to kill him! Look at what he did to this bit of forest, I'm not anywhere near the same league as this!" Xendor exclaimed. _But remember that Loki is only a fallen god and I was equal to the Ghosts of Mortis_ the Talisman said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Xendor demanded. _That in life, I was of superior power to Loki's parents and thus, to Loki himself. Draw on my strength and you will be able to overcome him even if you are at a disadvantage of physical inferiority_ the Talisman explained. Xendor smiled, reassured that he could counter a fallen god with a divine equivalent that was magically superior.

What it meant was that if desired, the Talisman could give him strength to wrestle Loki or outrun him should it prove necessary to do so. "I'll follow the trail of destruction and see if that leads me anywhere. Besides, if the legends are to be believed then he'll have only done this because he was hunting one of the bigger animals in the forest," Xendor observed aloud. The Talisman said nothing, likely using silence to confirm agreement about Loki's path of destruction.

Running with the excitement of his task on the verge of completion, Xendor was stopped almost to the point of fainting at the sight before him near the end. A massive rancor carcass stood before him with much of its meat stripped as well as all of the vital organs removed except for the brain. Aside from the head being untouched, all that remained were bloodstained bones which flies swarmed around. "Damn, he may be a fallen god but he's got an appetite like none I've seen on this plane of existence!" Xendor exclaimed.

_That isn't all for him_ the Talisman said. Xendor paled, suddenly remembering that Loki had two pet wolf packs that were bigger than normal hunting wolves. "They undoubtedly ate most of this carcass but I wonder why the head was left intact. Maybe Loki hasn't eaten yet and that will be his share," Xendor guessed.

_Most likely: the brain is the only part of a rancor that one can say surpasses the heart in nutritional value even amongst gods like me and Loki_ the Talisman agreed. "Then I think we should duck somewhere and remain hidden until he returns. Hopefully without his wolves otherwise I don't think we'll stand a chance," Xendor replied. Running around the carcass, he found a boulder stabbing into the foot of a mountain and noticed that it hid him relatively well if he ducked his head behind it.

_I doubt Loki will bring his pets around here again now that they've had their fill. When starved, they'll attack almost anything with Loki himself being an exception. However, when their bellies are filled they are pretty damned docile_ the Talisman told him. "Perfect, then if Loki wants to come back to this carcass he will have to come alone," Xendor said before starting his wait.

**For three days,** Arden Lyn had been trekking across the massive Ash Plains. Her aim was to head north in case the Temple was in that direction. Anyone desiring to find it would at least need a chance to find it by calculating the magnetic pulse of the planet poles with their compasses. Looking around her as she made her way, however, and the color of the plains gave away the name's reasoning.

Though there was grass that seemingly camouflaged with the rest of the ruined Tython landscape, the Ash Plains were called that because of the ash color that spread across the area. Few came here except for meditation and mourning the fallen servants of Ashla that perished here. Of course, there were also those initiates chosen to search for the Black Firestone like Arden who came. Their task here would be to seek answers on what to avoid in order to achieve victory in finding the artifact that would give the Order the ability to find the Oracle.

Personally, Arden didn't see the point or purpose of accessing such an ancient device even if its clockwork did supposedly have the power of prophecy. Even if such device existed, Arden's question would be how to get such a device to obey the commands of the person requesting information. Astrological alignment of that sort only went as far as the information that it was given to calculate and if it didn't really have all that much information, the calculation could be inaccurate. But that didn't bother Arden as much as it bothered some of the elder Jedi Knights for reasons she didn't understand.

It was as of thinking of all this conjured the image of an elder Jedi with a spear, one that beared the rare dragonfly-slicer tip, in meditation position. His hair was pale-white as the newly-printed scroll paper and his beard was equally white which signified that he was very old for a Human. Shrugging, Arden figured that the best way to know if she was lost or not was to ask him where the Temple was. "The way you crunch on the ash layer, your blood would've stained my spear in a matter of seconds if I had been seeking to kill you," he said by the time she arrived to his seat.

"With an ego like that, I'd say you'd be Awdrysta Pina if I didn't know any better," she retorted. "You are wise for your age, young woman," the old man replied. "Do you even know how old I am?" she asked. "No but I can guess that you're in your late teenage years," he answered.

"I'm nineteen if that helps any," she stated. The old man chuckled and asked for her name. "Arden, daughter of the House of Lyn," she replied. "You already guessed my name from my 'ego' as you called it," he said with a smile. "Even the finest warrior is susceptible to the flaw of the human ego that kills worlds, isn't that true?" she asked.

Pina laughed as jolly as his small belly allowed him to do and it wasn't long before he was coughing. Arden laughed too though not as hard as the old man and asked if she was on the right path to the Jedi Temple. "Last time I checked, it was on the path right behind me. You have not failed to find it so far... do you go to find the Black Firestone?" he asked.

"How did you know?" she asked. "I tried a similar thing once myself, when I was much younger and less skilled than I am now. Unfortunately, I barely returned alive from the expedition into the Temple," he answered. "The spirits of Bogan were too powerful for the great Awdrysta Pina?" she inquired suspiciously.

"Either that or I had too much of that ego you observed me having. I never really did change much from what I was in my youth except in how I treated people. And my value in the more peaceful doctrines of the Jedi Order," he confessed. "The peaceful doctrines of the Order? I thought the Council was all about expansion and warring with as many races as possible," she joked.

"The Council is, yes, but that hardly makes up the majority of the Order. It just makes up almost all of those who command the rest of us around," he replied. "Well maybe somebody should stand up to them, try to persuade them to see the error in their ways," she suggested. "If I could, I'd destroy them all and replace them with people more keen to my thinking," he admitted.

"But that would be hypocritical to what is demanded of those peaceful doctrines, wouldn't it?" Arden guessed. "How did you guess?" he replied. "I had been taught them by my uncle whenever I wasn't training to become a master of Terras Kasi," she told him. "So you do have the ability to use the old martial arts," he said, it wasn't a question but it could be answered like one.

And Arden nodded, adding that she was proud of her success in the training as well and asked if she would be opposed in her entry to the Temple. "Not by me, no. But the spirits of the Ashla may test you if they feel like you are corruptible by the spirits of Bogan," he answered. "Then I hope I am at least a little overqualified to avoid them," she said with a smile.

Chuckling, he stated that even he was questioned by the spirits of Ashla when he had thought that he was infallible. "Tread carefully when you approach the Temple, they may feel the need to defend the Temple with their immortal lives," he added. "I'll be careful, may the Force be with your meditation," she told him.

"And may the Force bless your journey to find the Black Firestone. The Council may even reward you with the chance to find the Oracle should you succeed," he said. Smirking, Arden walked past the old man and continued on her way to the Je'daii Temple where her target awaited. Gulping, she marched into the ravine that would lead her to her destination and in the meantime, Pina meditated.

But as Arden progressed further and further away from the old warrior, the more she was curious to know his background. Why did she feel like she should have known him before that first meeting? Had it even been the very first meeting that they had ever had in their lives? What was it about this man that felt so familiar-was it also paternity about him?-about him?

She had a feeling their paths would cross once again, at least once. Pina wasn't the kind of man you met once and then you were satisfied: he was a legendary hero, after all. On top of that, he was friendlier towards the young than his fellow Council members were too. Content to accept that for now, Arden saw the Temple on the horizon and began making the final approach.

**"Where is Awdrysta** **Pina?** He should have been here by now!" Tiberius, head of the Jedi Council, demanded. "Master, you know how he is: he's meditating on the Ash Plains of Tython right now," his right-hand man, Linus, answered. "Sometimes, the man just pisses me off; send a scout to inform him that I need him for the Council meeting on Ossus immediately," Tiberius demanded.

"With due respect sir, even if we did that, he might be stubborn and refuse to leave his meditation. You know that he could very easily wipe out the might of the Council and the Chancellor even if we combined our Force abilities to counter his. With power like that, he has all the right to be accordingly confident and unintimidated by our threats," Priam, another friend of Pina, chimed in.

"But he is old and whilst the rest of us are in our prime. Physical disarmament could easily work as a solution for us," Tiberius warned. Then he demanded that his orders to grab the old Jedi be obeyed without regard to what Pina's Force abilities were. _I don't think his understanding of Force Valor would allow that to happen to him_ Priam thought quietly.

"Tell him the Council meets in three days and his presence is required. I'm sure that we'll persuade him to come," Tiberius said suddenly. But the Council knew how to respond to this even though Priam was the only one to speak up. "After fifteen years of you have messengers tell him that, I think he'd know without one rather instinctively," he said.

"Watch it Priam, remember that we are of superior power to you even if we aren't superior to Pina," Tiberius warned. "But I have the protection of Pina so that should anything happen to me, you pay dearly," Priam countered. "How long that last, remains to be seen," Tiberius replied. "Enough threats gentlemen, it behooves us not to fight amongst ourselves," a new voice spoke up.

"What are we, Followers of Bogan? No, we are Jedi and Jedi do not fight amongst themselves even for honor," another said in agreement. "Unless one of our own turns on us in favor of the ways of Bogan," Tiberius snapped. No one argued that, figuring that Tiberius would not hear them even if they tried to argue with him.

The messenger was sent despite the fact that everyone knew that Pina would get the cue long before his arrival. And with the Initiation Trials having begun once more, there were many eyes towards the initiates that had volunteered to undergo them. But for some reason, their eyes were especially on two people: Arden Lyn and Xendor of Kashi Mer. What was it about those two that intrigued so many Masters and Knights of all classes so much?

Were they slated for an important destiny that could fundamentally change the Order forever? Could it be that they were destined to one day oppose the will of the Council? How could anyone know the will of the Force? For that matter, how could Tiberius know what intrigued everybody about them?


	46. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

For Xendor, waiting for Loki the Destroyer would come to an end sooner than he had thought. The darkness of night came and with it, the thundering storms that infamously plagued this planet and caused wide forest fires. In the distance, he could already see the makings of several fires that would likely connect and burn the fringes of the forest. However, the lightning bolts and the fires they created would be only the distraction that his enemy would need to ambush on him.

Before he knew it, Xendor heard a roar of territorial rage and barely dodged a massive hammer swinging at his head from the side. A battle ax followed and Xendor knew that his target had him played for a fool. After all, Xendor had been so focused on what was around him that he failed to sense Loki's stealthy approach until the bigger man was ready to strike him down. Xendor jumped from his perch and descended down towards the carcass with the gigantic fallen god following close behind.

As Xendor heard the monster running behind him, he came on a revelation: for all his speed and ferocity, Loki was not very maneuverable in tight corners due to his size. It gave the little man an idea: wait until the last possible moment and then dart out of the way to watch Loki tumble and fall. Heading straight for the face of the rancor carcass, he waited until he approached its mouth to execute his plan. When he reached it, he began running up along the teeth until he could literally jump over Loki and watch the magic happen.

As he anticipated, Loki the Destroyer crashed straight into the mouth of his most recent kill and fell down from the blunt impact of it. During this time, his sword was exposed to Xendor doing a wide variety of things and so he decided to destroy it immediately. Using one sword, Xendor launched himself through the air to reach his enemy and plunge his blade into the wide face of his enemy's blade. The result was the magic of the sword resisting the power in Xendor's blade initially.

Both magics met and clashed with each other, an explosion of power fastly accumulating. During that time, the Talisman created a shield of Bogan energy around Xendor and protected him from the explosion when it finally did come. Loki's immortality, as predicted, was sacrificed in exchange for the survival of the explosion and when he did recover, his anger was unparalleled. "You little bastard, you'll pay for that!" he shouted.

Swinging his ax and hammer in the direction that he sensed Xendor being in, he watched as the smaller man dodged him yet again and recreated a copy of his sword from its scabbard. "You couldn't beat me to the rancor carcass, how could you ever hope to beat me in fair combat?" Xendor asked. Loki's vain and likes to talk, encourage him if you want but be ready to counter what he does the Talisman interjected. "You're a punk, a rank-amateur, who was lucky and that's all you ever will be!" Loki answered before swinging both his remaining weapons overhead.

Xendor dodged both of the weapons though he did try to sever the head of the ax from its hilt. Loki countered this by quickly letting go of both weapons and lunging for Xendor, successfully grabbing him. Then he took the young man by the neck with one hand and landed a hard punch to the abdomen in the other. He returned to pick up his weapons as Xendor recovered from the blow thanks to the Talisman and its powers to heal.

He recovered to dodge yet another blow from both of Loki's weapons and he observed how it demolished the tree that it hit. The entire tree, from a few meters above the stump, collapsed on the side of the mountain and this gave Xendor an idea. It wasn't one that would kill Loki but it would work towards slowing him down enough for Xendor to incapacitate or kill him with his swords. "So you think you know this forest well?" he mocked.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!? I've been here for at least eight-hundred thousand years after all!" Loki answered. "That so? Then why don't you pit that knowledge against me and my relatively new exposure to this environment," Xendor replied with a smile.

After that, Xendor began retreating into the forest in the hopes that Loki's pride in his knowledge of the planet would compel him to follow. Sure enough, despite not directly doing so, the gigantic man took the bait and Xendor waited until he was far away from his line of view. Then he made the Talisman tune out everything but the sound of Loki's steps to anticipate where he would attack next. He also made sure to keep his eyes on the direction in which he was going so as not to be lost in the maze of trees that stood before him.

It was at this point that Xendor's mind and soul gave themselves to the Talisman and it melted into his chest. What this did was fill his veins with its powers and call upon the aura of his family, which would give off a blood-red fire in his eyes and expose his veins for the same color to also be seen. Giving himself to the artifact like this allowed it to act like his eyes and ears as he kept on fighting the fallen god that he had come to defeat humiliatingly. Finally, after several hours of traversing the forests, the possessed Xendor sensed his target gaining and prepared for his arrival.

First, he stopped running and instead, position himself in a tree that was adjacent to Loki's direction of approach. Standing behind it, he decided to wait until the gigantic man came charging and dodging would be almost impossible. So fast was the bigger man despite his size normally handicapping him that this almost passed by Xendor but thanks to the Talisman, he timed it just right. A massive tree came falling down with the aid of Xendor's sword and the Talisman's magic and nearly crushed Loki.

However, the big man was able to catch it and push it though not before Xendor used the distraction to run up the tree and attack him from above. He managed a couple slashes to the chest and legs before Loki began swatting at him again like a fly with his hammer and ax. However, Xendor dodged this and hacked at Loki's lower thighs, trying to bring his head closer to the ground. But when he finally managed, Loki revealed a surprise: one side of his battle ax shot out at the flick of a switch.

Such was the velocity of this projectile ax head that Xendor couldn't dodge but send a projectile of his own, conjured from the magic of his sword. The two collided and the resulting explosion reduced the ax head to nothing but ashes at the cost of Xendor's own energy-based projectile. "Impossible, how can a little bastard like you be so gifted in the ways of Bogan!?" Loki demanded as he rose back up. "I am of the blood of Kashi Mer despite my comparative dwarfism," Xendor replied.

Loki's face paled in recognition of the name and in recognition of the possibility for a Kashi Mer descendant to be born with a height deficiency that made them look a little more normal for humans. "With or without the Talisman, you will feel my vengeance for this insult!" Loki vowed. "Insult? There's no bigger insult than you: the failed attempt by Arkanus to create a balance with his nemesis," Xendor said.

"How _dare_ you!" Loki exclaimed, giving into his anger more deeply than ever before. _You dare lecture me about my father and mother! You'll die little man and I'll send your body back to the Council in pieces_Loki thought menacingly. But as Loki progressed with his hammer and ax, he found Xendor's gift of wielding two swords to be proving superior.

In all his years alive, Loki had only seen this technique twice before and both times had seen it being relatively primitive and flawed. However, here, it seemed perfect though that may have been because of the Talisman fueling Xendor with the power of Bogan. Loki retreated, deciding to smash down trees in the hopes of weakening Xendor to the point of an easier defeat than he would have now. Instead, it seemed as though Xendor only grew stronger and stronger due to delving deeper and deeper into the powers of the artifact that hung around his neck except to melt into his chest during battle.

There was even one point where Xendor put aside his swords long enough to grab one such tree with his bare hands and throw it at the fallen god. Loki caught it though not before being rammed into the side of a mountain along with half the tree being plunged into it with him. Pulling the tree out soon after, Xendor followed the tunnel it created to where Loki lied motionless. Smiling, Xendor thought the man to be dead after several millenniums of existence but he was soon proven wrong.

"Maybe I can't fight you anymore on this day, maybe you have defeated me. But I will never rest until I find you again, little man and while you may spare me now... I promise I won't return the formality when we meet again," Loki hissed despite coughing up blood in the process. Xendor stood for a moment, wondering whether or not to kill Loki despite the Talisman tempting him to do it.

But Xendor's greater willpower told him that he should not kill the man in cold blood, he had already used enough Bogan power for one day. "Loki, son of Arkanus, I wouldn't expect you to return the formality of sparing my life should we meet again. In fact, I'd be disappointed if you did," he replied. "You'll be eating those words as your last meal before I'm through with you when we meet again," Loki warned.

"Maybe but maybe not, I haven't encountered an enemy that I have twice. Perhaps my luck will extend to never fighting you again as well and besides, you're mortal now just like me. Even if you did find me, I'd be more capable of killing you in that match than I was now," Xendor replied. Then he walked away before Loki could say anything more to distract him, having completed his initiation trial.

But as he did so, he had to admit that he somewhat pitied Loki the Destroyer and as such had been very tempted to kill him. After all, what kind of an existence was it to have both of your parents hate your guts so much as to banish you from their world? True that Xendor's father had been somewhat abusive but it was never out of hate like it had been with Loki's father to him. Shaking his head to get the memory out of his mind, he called for the transport to come and pick him up at once.

**Approaching the Je'daii Temple,** Arden had to admit that for all its ruin it still looked magnificent. But she was not here to see the sights, she was here to obtain the Black Firestone from the bowels of the Temple itself. Approaching the entrance to the Temple, she sensed the spirits of the Children of Ashla trapped within statues of warriors posing for a fight with their spears. Gulping, she hoped not to be bothered by any of them but it seemed as though she wouldn't get that chance.

"I am Jake Fenn, Je'daii Temple Master of the Temple of Knowledge. What is your name, title, and mission?" the ancient spirit asked. "I am Arden Lyn, Initiate of the Jedi Order and I seek the Black Firestone that resides in this Temple," Arden answered with calm but firm certitude. "The stone has been sought by many, surely you know why," the spirit replied.

Arden nodded and stated that it was sought because it guided those who wielded it to the all-seeing Oracle. "With its powers of premonition, the one who can gaze into the future can either become an unbreakable servant of Ashla or a near-invincible tool of Bogan," she added. "Do you come seeking its power for your own purpose?" the spirit inquired. "No, obtaining it would mean the completion of my Initiation Trial and thus I enter the true ranks of the Order," she explained.

"And would you mind not having the rank?" the spirit continued. "Though I have dreamed of being a member and making my uncle proud, I will accept it if I am not fated to be a member. True that my uncle may disown me or be disgraced but it is what I make of my fate that defines me," she replied. "Then you may enter the Temple but be wary of the spirits of Bogan for they will tempt you with promises of power and premonition that only the Oracle can provide," the spirit told her.

Arden nodded, sighing in relief that she had passed the very first test of possibly several that the Temple would offer. But as she journeyed into the inside of the sanctuary of the ruins, she couldn't detect any traces of Bogan presence. Either my senses have abandoned me or it seems as though years of dormancy have caused those spirits to fade Arden thought to herself. Readying her sword and absorbing her scabbard so that it didn't interfere, she made sure to keep an extra vigilant eye open.

Despite the cool fresh breeze coming thanks to the missing top of the Temple in combination to the approach of night, Arden was unsettled. It was almost too quiet and she began to wonder why so many initiates failed to obtain the Black Firestone aside from being deemed unworthy by the spirit. Luckily, she had already deduced that her senses had not abandoned her because she was not in the Rift or the Chasm as both were known to do that to any who traversed within them. But all this mental processing of what could possibly be going on nearly made her fall down a void of darkness.

Detecting stairs after a few seconds to reorient her attention, she guessed that this was where she went as there was nowhere else to go except back. She couldn't go back without the stone so she decided to slowly descend the stairs and see where they led. Lighting a torch with a kit she kept handy on her belt, she sensed trouble ahead and threw the torch in front of her. The trouble turned out to be the stairs ending before a long chasm that plummeted straight down with no way around it.

Luckily, the chasm was not all that massive and Arden could actually climb down and return for the torch but she sensed something. She wondered if it was the Black Firestone or the ancient Bogan spirits that guarded it by lying in wait for any who would seek it. _A battle of the Despot War was fought here, I wonder if the spirits of the ones who fell in that fight are here_ she asked herself. As she climbed down, she could swear she heard moans and screams of pain and agony respectively.

As Arden recalled the histories, Queen Hadiya of the Shikaakwa monarchy had attacked Tython with particular interest for the Black Firestone and appeared at the Temple of Knowledge. Murdered in fair combat by Daegen Lok, it was often said that Hadiya's soul never knew peace and remained. And when Arden heard the clash of swords as though the battle was being reenacted, she could say for certain that the spirits were cursed to continue the battle until the Black Firestone left. Before entering the chamber where she could hear the spirits fighting, she decided that she would try to avoid fighting them as much as possible.

She would also see about avoiding the bodies of the failed initiates, which she was beginning to see all around her, in case any Bogan spirits decided to possess them to fight her. The stone was within sight after a while, standing in a pedestal as though to be glorified by the Je'daii Order. She was close when trouble came her way: bodies of Initiates soon came to life with possessive Bogan spirits. "We will never allow you to leave this sacred temple with the stone!" they all said in simultaneity.

"Stop! This one is very strong with the Force, she's mine!" a more massive creature shouted. "Queen Hadiya, I sense or are my senses as fucked up as the sight around me?" Arden asked. "You guessed correctly, descendant of my murderer!

"Daegen Lok will pay with the blood of one of his own kin!" the zombie answered. _Me, a descendant of Daegen Lok? How in the universe is that possible?_ Arden asked herself. But she shunned this in favor of readying her sword to fight the vengeful spirit of the long-dead Queen.

"I must warn you, descendant of Daegen or not, I am very skilled with the sword," she said aloud. "Of course, I'd be disappointed if you weren't," the Queen replied. "You misunderstand, your Majesty," Arden warned. Before the Queen could ask what she meant, Arden conjured a crescent-shaped projectile of energy with sharpness that surpassed any sword presently existing.

For all the withering and shriveled shape of the dead body she possessed, Queen Hadiya had surprising agility and Arden could quickly figure out why Daegen alone had managed to kill her. But Arden remembered an ancient legend of what to do for spirits like this, preferring diplomacy. "Hadiya, on behalf of my ancestor Daegen Lok, I am so sorry for the misery that has been wrought upon you. I absolve you of your sins and ask that you be allowed to be at peace," she said.

This caused a reaction in the body, as though someone was levitating it with telekinesis and bending it beyond even human proportions. Then the red fire of Bogan ebbed away from the body as it did with the bodies of the undead soldiers who were also at peace with what Arden had said. It seemed as though the Queen being at peace meant release for the soldiers who had perished in the Despot War. Smiling, she noticed the spirits of the Je'daii turning to her and saluting her with their swords and it was a salutation she knew to return back at them.

When all the spirits in the room had left and the only thing to break the ice that soon formed in the room was the smell of dead bodies, Arden turned back to claim her prize. Savoring the moment, Arden felt the coldness of the stone sting her hand as she wrapped her fingers around it. _So many eons since anyone has had access to this stone and now it is mine_ she thought quietly. The power of the stone coursed in her veins and she had the feeling that the Council would allow her to use it.

After all, the Black Firestone led to the Oracle of Pelgrin and since she had earned the artifact then it would be best to let her use it. As she restored her scabbard before then transforming it into a duplicate of her sword, she used these tools to climb back up the chasm to the stairs. But she had a feeling that the last task was yet to be completed as the weight of the seemed to grow heavy. Heaving breaths after a while, Arden guessed that her only chance was to return to the entrance of the Temple.

By the time she reached the entrance, she was crawling to get there and nearly unable to make it before passing out. But the moment that her hand reached the light of the approaching sun, the weight dissipated in an instant and Arden began to rapidly recover. "Why... why did that happen?" Arden asked. "The weight of the stone is always the most difficult task for those who sought the stone, in fact, it was what killed them if the Queen didn't," the spirit of the Je'daii Temple Master interjected.

"The price of a power such as this is a heavy burden, isn't it?" she guessed. "Yes, unless you successfully bring so much as your hand into the sunlight. But I think you will find someday that there are more terrible prices to pay for the power in artifacts like this," he replied. Then he disappeared, having fulfilled his duty and been allowed access to the Ashla afterlife.

Walking back towards the Ash Plains with the stone in tow, she was surprised to see that Master Pina was still meditating on the boulder that he had been seen sitting on. "Well done, Arden Lyn. You have succeeded where no other Initiate has succeeded before," he said. "Let me guess, you never lost faith that I could do it," she stated.

"Of course I didn't, your power is one that will allow you to triumph in the completion of any goal you put your mind to. Never forget that, Arden Lyn," he replied. "Thanks, well, I gotta call my transport and get out of this rock," she said. "Don't bother, I already told the pilot to leave you and allow you to come in my transport if you survive," he snapped.

"What?" Arden asked. "You're going before the Council where I'll put in a motion for you to use the Black Firestone to find the Oracle. You've passed your Trial and should be allowed to enjoy more than the privileges of a promotion," Pina answered with a smile. "Thank you Master, no one's ever done that sort of thing for me before," Arden said.

"Kindness is one of my specialties, my dear. Ask Xendor about it sometime, he has quite the story to tell you," Pina retorted. Arden thought about that for a moment and wondered what it was about Xendor Kashi Mer that everyone disliked except for her and now Pina. "Maybe I will someday, will I see him again?" she asked.

"If he's survived the Trial, I think you will. Never fear, the Force shall guide him back to you if it was meant to be," Pina answered. Arden yielded and was content to accept it for the time being.


	47. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

For Xendor, completing the Trial and defeating Loki the Destroyer was more bittersweet than he thought it would be. On the one hand, he spared Loki despite his vow of vengeance if he was allowed to live and on the other... The other hand was that he would be a hero whose respect would be rivaled only by Arden Lyn should she have succeeded in her trial. Did he really want that respect though?

Could he bear to live with the burdens that were brought about by that fame? Or was he better off being the nobody that everybody hated simply because of his clan name? He knew he would find out in due time but he was not necessarily sure that he wanted to. True that he would be able to merit a little more respect in the ranks of the Order than before but what if he didn't want that.

What if he began missing the mystery surrounding his identity before the Initiation Trials came, this year? "Our next destination is the Jedi Temple on Ossus, the Council will most likely want to see you," his pilot told him after he boarded the ship. "I don't doubt that anymore than I doubt the success of my duel spreading across the Republic pretty fast soon after," Xendor replied. "Probably not, we'll be at Ossus shortly and meeting with Arden Lyn at the Council Chambers," the pilot said.

"So she did survive her trial?" Xendor asked. "Yes, she did. She's presently with Master Awdrysta Pina, who already had to go back there for a Council meeting," the pilot answered. _There goes the old man, pulling strings and doing work for himself again_ Xendor thought, smiling.

"No doubt, the Council will probably want something with me as well as with Arden Lyn. I wonder what they would have in mind for me though," he said aloud. "They'll probably have you train under a Jedi Master until you're ready to be put in a class and made a Knight," the pilot suggested.

"If I get lucky, that Master would be Master Pina since he doesn't exactly bear any hatred for me just because my name is Kashi Mer," Xendor stated. "You might just get what you wish for, young boy. But be careful: the path Pina will have you take could be a painful one," the pilot said. "What do you mean?" Xendor asked.

"Let's just say he's not afraid to use some of the ancient methods of Jedi training, including rigorous physical 'activities' that might break your spine or worse," the pilot answered. "Excellent, that should be right up my alley. My ancestors were adapted to cope with those kinds of conditions before they were all destroyed by the Jedi," Xendor retorted. "Suit yourself, we'll be arriving at Ossus in a standard hour and you'll have to make your way to the OverSeer from there," the pilot said.

Xendor nodded and sat back, deciding to meditate on what his future could be now that he had successfully obtained the means to integrate with Jedi. Would it upset the spirit of the Talisman and the spirits of his ancestors or was this what they had hoped when Pina ordered Xendor to be spared? He thought about consulting the ancient artifact to see if this was the case. However, he decided against it soon enough and instead, resorted to relaxing for the rest of the way back to Ossus.

**"I've seldom done more** than ascend the steps of the Temple before. To think that I'll actually be going into the Temple this time is still phenomenal," Arden said. "It always is for the Initiate who survives their Trial as you have," Pina replied with a smile. "Halt, in the name of the Council!" two Jedi Guardians, in full uniform, stated.

"Calm down men, I am Awdrysta Pina the Green Blade. This is Initiate Arden Lyn, she has just completed her Trial and I seek to bring her up to the Council," Pina replied immediately. "And what was her Trial?" one of the Guardians asked. "To find the Black Firestone, guiding artifact that leads the wielder to the Oracle," Arden answered, pulling out the stone as proof.

At first, the Guardians froze, unsure of how to respond to this magnificent success but Pina soon remedied that. "Step aside, boys. Arden Lyn is one of us now," he ordered. The younger Guardians obeyed their senior's order and Pina beckoned Aden to come with him into the Temple.

Slowly, Arden walked forward in order to savor the excitement she felt at having finally entered the Temple for the first time. When she finally caught up with the old man, he confessed his pride in her desire to savor the moment. "You will not have many more like it once the Council is through with assigning you missions," he added. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"You'll find out within the next year or so," he answered. After that, he led Arden through the Temple and toured her in the facilities as they did so. She saw the sparring chambers where students trained and honed in their skills and the library where they went to search for more knowledge. Even the Chamber of Meditation was a sight for her to behold.

"As you can see, the Jedi are very oriented in peace and philosophy rather than the hardiness of combat when they are here in the Temple. But it doesn't stop several students from focusing on combat and they eventually become our Jedi Warriors and Combat Instructors," he explained. "The Jedi Order has always spoken of peace and yet is not unwilling to rush into combat, why?" she asked. Pina was a little puzzled by the question but laughed to acknowledge that he had figured out what she was asking.

"Tell you the truth, Arden Lyn, I do not know why. Perhaps, it has something to do with the origin of the Order back when we were known as the Je'daii. After all, several soldiers were responsible for its formation as well as several scholars, priests, and philosophers," he answered. "But you'd think, especially with the Despot War, that diplomacy would be more frequently attempted," she said. "I agree: one would think but sadly, the structure of our Order is hardly ever that fair," he replied grimly.

"The Council allows you to say these things? It's a wonder you're still a member of the Order," she exclaimed quietly. "Tiberius fears me too much for that but he did require that I go on more offworld missions," he replied with a smile. "At least he's making use of his fear and not panicking like a little bitch," she stated.

Both of them shared a laugh just in time to arrive to the Council Chambers. "You are late, Master Pina!" a Councilman exclaimed. "Just had to pick up someone that might interest you, Master Tiberius," Pina said. Arden had to use all her willpower not to smile at how much this man looked like he might as well be panicking at the sight of Awdrysta Pina.

"Who's that, a new pet of yours?" Tiberius asked. "Just a girl who happened to be lucky and obtain the Black Firestone from Tython," Arden answered before Pina could think of something better. However, the reaction on Tiberius' face assured that he wouldn't be saying anything ill of her even if he was thinking it. "If the Council will come to order, Master Awdrysta Pina will be taking his seat and the Initiate he has in tow will be seated next to him," Tiberius stated when the members gathered.

"What is an Initiate doing here?" another Councilman demanded. "You will find out when she is called to the center but for now, dear Priam, let us attend to other business," Tiberius said. "The Penal Worlds are demanding more supplies, particularly weapons. The guards there are saying that pirates are becoming an increasing problem in their region and see prisoners joining them all the time," Priam said.

"That is something the Chancellor should look into, not us," Tiberius said. "The only reason it's come to us is because the Chancellor has agreed to put the motion on hold for a price. He wants to know if we would be willing to send one of our Knights to oversee the efforts against the pirates. What shall we do?" Priam replied.

"Tell him that we'll see if we can find someone but if not, he'll have to go without and approve the motion," Tiberius stated. "Is that really wise, Master Tiberius? After all, you would quintessentially be allowing the Chancellor the right to wage war without any chance of diplomacy," Pina chimed in. Initially, everyone was dead silent including Arden though she had already decided to shut up and observe for the moment.

Though to no surprise for her, Tiberius was the first to make the reply that would answer Pina's question. "With pirates, the chances of diplomacy (even if we allowed the formality) would be like admitting weakness. We can either use diplomacy for its purpose and stall them or let the Republic hit them with all its might and crush them forever," he said. _You stupid idiot, you really think the pirates will just roll over and let the Republic crush them with a single blow?_ Arden thought but didn't say.

Half-smiling from the shadows produced by the wall her seat stood against, she continued to watch as Council members listed problems and Tiberius quickly created solutions. Some of them genuinely impressed Arden and others outraged her to her core, something that may have been sensed. "And now that business has been concluded in all important sections of the Council agenda, I do believe that we have a guest who has something interesting in her possession," Tiberius said, looking at Arden. Rising from her seat, Arden moved to the center of the Council chambers where all the members could see her and the artifact she beared in possession.

"Councilman, I come before you with a gift and one that I don't think you'll be willing to turn down. Since you know I am only here due to completing a very special Initiation Trial, I'll get to the point: my task was to acquire the Black Firestone from the Je'daii Temple of Knowledge on Tython. I produce the stone as proof that I am the first in thirteen hundred and five years to even touch it," she said rapidly. As she promised, she produced the stone from a pocket in her utility belt and levitated it for a moment with the Force.

"Another Initiate completed a Trial recently with equal significance: a young man called Xendor Kashi Mer defeated Loki the Destroyer in his own domain and returns to the Ossus now. Nonetheless, I am phenomenally impressed with your success in acquiring an artifact that caused the Despot War. Which is precisely why I decree that you, Arden Lyn, should be allowed to skip the rank of Jedi Padawan and be ascended directly to a Knight in addition to being given a designation," Tiberius stated. All the Council members, even Pina who seldom did, agreed with him on this charge but Arden stopped them in the middle of their applause.

"There's a catch isn't there?" she asked. "Right you are little one: you have to use the stone for its purpose and find the Oracle. Document everything you see and everything that the Oracle does, confirm if it truly has the power to use astronomical alignment to grant premonitions," Tiberius replied. "Should be simple enough and the rewards are pretty great, I'll take the challenge but on a single condition," she said.

"If it is within my power," Tiberius said. "Select Xendor to be the warrior you send to help the Republic crush those pirates, extend him the same offer to persuade him. I don't know why but I think Pina can relate when I say that I think Xendor will be best used on a battlefield," she explained. "I am in favor of such a notion, perhaps then you will understand why I ordered him alive," he agreed.

Arden sounded surprised by that comment and Tiberius smiled though it wasn't a smile that said he agreed for the same reasons. No doubt, it was more of the hatred for the name "Kashi Mer" which was a hatred that Arden Lyn still didn't understand. _What was so dangerous about a name if its existence only continued out of the kindness of a Jedi like Awdrysta Pina?_ Arden asked herself. "Very well, we shall extend him this deal as well as select him but we will not be responsible for him accepting either the offer or the mission," Tiberius warned.

"Good enough for me," Arden said. "Is there any further business before this Council is adjourned?" Tiberius asked, ignoring her now. All the Council members shook their heads at most and Tiberius adjourned the meeting, sneering at Arden before leaving. "What was that for?" Arden asked Pina.

"I think you'll find that, bound as he is to the Code, he doesn't like to comply with it when opportunity presents itself," the old man answered. "I see, much like the Chancellor of the Republic. Now I'm starting to see the resemblance between the corrupt Jedi and the corrupt democratic official. Should I be seeing that?" Arden inquired.

"Only time will tell if that sight will aid you but be pleased with yourself, he has extended you a magnificent offer and has agreed to pass it onto another. You don't get those kinds of opportunities every day," Pina told her. "Maybe but I'm already beginning to wonder if I will come to regret it someday," she said. "If it turns out to be the right thing, that fear will be ill-founded though I can see why you'd have it in the first place," he said reassuringly.

"Will a ship be ready for me soon?" she asked. "Yes, one is being fueled up and will be ready to take you to Pelgrin before sunrise. I suggest you get some sleep in the meantime and keep the stone nearby you for safety," he answered. Arden agreed and thanked Pina for everything, even to the point of hugging him rather affectionately.

After she left to find her room with the aid of a guide, Pina continued to his own chambers alone. _In all my life, I have not seen a woman like that little Arden since I met my wife all those years ago. If this is indeed my daughter, my brother has done an excellent job in raising her to the light of the Jedi_ he told himself proudly. Though he was hoping he was right, he wouldn't mind being wrong all that much; after all, Jedi were forbidden from feeling such attachments as this, right?

**Arriving to the Temple** for the first time, Xendor had to admit that he was astonished at being allowed entry to the inside of the Temple for the first time in his life. "Halt in the name of the Council!" two Guardians in uniform stated. "Whoa, take it easy. I'm Xendor Kashi Mer, the only Initiate to have ever defeated Loki the Destroyer in fair combat," Xendor replied quickly.

"In that case, we shall escort you to the Jedi Council so as to prevent you from losing your way. Come and we will take you," the second Guardian said. With each warrior flanking him, Xendor walked inside the Temple for the first time and marveled at the architecture and the history of it. Never in his life had he seen so much beauty and wonder all in one sitting nor did he think he would again.

Even the Palace of the Kashi Mer could compare to the humility of this temple's splendor. I could never get tired of seeing the sights this place has to offer, ever the young man thought to himself quietly. When he finally arrived at the Council Chambers, only the leader named Tiberius was there. But when Xendor was introduced Tiberius dismissed the Guardians to return to the Temple entrance and leave the two of them alone.

"Initiate Xendor, I have heard of your success long before you even arrived here. I must say that I am genuinely impressed and would like to extend an offer to you. Help Republic forces overthrow pirates that are giving them trouble on the Penal Worlds and you'll be allowed to skip the Padawan title. I made a similar offer to Arden Lyn when she retrieved the Black Firestone and requested that I extend it to you as well, what say you to that?" Tiberius asked immediately. "I would be more than happy to take the offer, all I need is a location or series of locations to go to," Xendor answered rapidly.

"The Chancellor will provide that sort of information to you in his office on Coruscant when you go there to join the forces being launched for the fight to secure the Penal Worlds. I shall arrange an appointment for you to go there in two days time but in the meanwhile, explore the Temple, rest well. All the formalities that I am to bid an Initiate who has completed his Trial and is allowed entrance into our sacred establishment," Tiberius replied. _I'll definitely be exploring this Temple, that much is for sure_ Xendor thought but didn't say.

And as he did so, he was awed by the width and height of the corridors that led to several chambers ranging from ones designed for spar practice to one designed for meditation and slumber. There was an outside pavilion for eating food where many Padawans, Knights, and Masters would mingle. Lastly, there was a magnificent library that tried its best to sort its information with the oldest information being on the far left end of Xendor and newest on the nearest right to him.

It was here that he observed far more information in the lefthand shelves than he observed in the righthand shelves. He wondered if this was deliberate or if this was just a mistake of categorization due to the weathering and other relevant conditions of the scrolls and texts. _Also observe that some of the scrolls appear to have been thrown into a fire then fetched back out_ the Talisman added. Xendor did notice that and was curious to see what information the partly-burnt documents contained.

He was surprised to see that these doctrines were ones that told of self-discipline in a Jedi and how it could be achieved. The _Conquer Arrogance_ tenet through to the _Conquer Recklessness_ tenet were missing along with _Aggression_ and _Materialism_. He also noticed tenets missing in the _Responsibility_ doctrine: _Practice Honesty_ and _Honor Your Promises_ alongside _Honor Life_. It confused Xendor and made him wonder what the hell these burnt points in the doctrine were meant to be.

True that nothing of the Public service doctrine was missing but he was starting to become suspicious of that. He couldn't believe that someone had accidentally let some tenets of the doctrines burn but keep others around in the Self-Discipline and Responsibility doctrines. _Before Tiberius and all the present members of the Council were born, these documents were intact. As if that wasn't interesting enough, there was no war in their era except their campaign against Kashi Mer._

_Tells you a little something about those who govern the Order at present, does it not?_ the Talisman telepathically interjected. When it said that, Xendor did indeed agree that it told him something although he hated admitting what it was. After all, the Jedi had given no mercy to those of his fellow Kashi Mer who survived the supernova that destroyed the original homeworld. He remembered his mother being felled by a score of arrows and spears from Republic soldiers in front of him.

Unfortunately, he also remembered being equally helpless when a Jedi kneecapped his father and decapitated him with relative ease before moving on to kill him. But Xendor smiled when he remembered seeing Awdrysta Pina's spear come down in front of him before hearing his voice. "No, this young boy will be spared and taken with us as atonement for what we've done here!" he had ordered. Smiling at the memory, Xendor decided to put the burnt documents aside and keep exploring the sights he wanted to see in the Temple before he needed to go to Coruscant and meet the Chancellor.

But even as he enjoyed the sights and stood in awe of the people that helped make it all the more wonderful, he had to wonder. Why did Pina choose him to be spared out of all the young children that were sure to be slaughtered by the Jedi Order? Were there other survivors that had escaped the wrath of the Order and Pina had simply picked one that couldn't escape? Was Xendor royalty of sorts which would most likely explain Pina's benevolence in the face of his annihilation?

He didn't know why he had been spared but he did know that he wanted to repay the old Jedi in kind as soon as he had a chance to do so. After all, both he and Pina had a curiosity to know more than was permitted for the Jedi Order, not for self-benefit but for the Order's benefit. For as Xendor discovered that day, the Jedi were becoming exclusive in who they chose and what elements of the Code were being used. It was something he hoped to have regress before the end of his life even if it meant that he was to die in the process.


	48. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Initially, when Arden Lyn began using the Black Firestone for its intent, she did have a little trouble keeping it so that it glowed brighter and brighter with each step instead of dimmer and dimmer. Twice, the stone's light had ceased altogether and she had to turn back until she could get it glowing again and that was frustrating. However, upon request, she was allowed to return to Bunduki and inform her followers of Bunduki about her success in in the Initiation Trials. "I may even be able to find out some tips about how to use the Black Firestone while I'm there," she added.

"Normally, I do not allow Padawans an opportunity for personal indulgence but you're doing this for a mission and there is no harm in that purpose. Besides, if anyone would know how to use the Black Firestone to reach the Oracle, the priests of Palawa most certainly would," Tiberius replied. "What makes you say that?" Arden asked. "At one time, the Followers of Palawa were obssessed with finding the Oracle and predicting the future of their martial art Terras Kasi.

"They very nearly had it in their possession after discovering the Black Firestone's property of guiding the bearer to the Oracle itself. However, the ancient Je'daii thwarted their plans and destroyed Palawa as a direct result, forcing them to rely more heavily on Terras Kasi," he explained calmly. "You sound like you have some personal background with that story," she said after a moment. "My great-grandfather's father was the general who led the Je'daii attack that destroyed Palawa," he replied.

"And you led the expedition to destroy the remnants of the Kashi Mer Dynasty to the best of your ability," she added. "Who told you that?" he asked. "Master Pina, he was there with you when you launched the first assaults. He told me about how you struck down the King of the Kashi Mer Royalty and would have killed his son had Pina not stood in your way," she answered.

"Yes I did lead the first raids on the remaining Kashi Mer worlds but I had given the reigns of leadership on that particular world to Pina. It was part of an agreement that we had made where he would attack the southernmost worlds of the Dynasty and I would attack the northernmost worlds. Since I had finished my worlds earlier and was seeking to help Pina at that point, I was under his command," he confessed. "And the reason you're so compliant to confessing all this stuff to me when you might have done it with any other Padawan is what, exactly?" she inquired suspiciously.

"You will find out in due time but for now, know that it has to do with the identity of your father," he explained. Then he closed the door to her shuttle to Bunduki and told her pilot to take off, leaving her long before he could answer any questions she had about her father. Perhaps it was the wise thing for him to do for she had countless questions she wanted to ask about her father. Who he was, of course, was the most obvious ones but there were many others.

What had her father loved about her mother so much as to willingly conceive a daughter with her? How he had feel about the death of Arden's mother, who perished in the process of giving birth to a half-brother who would die soon after being born? Had he known that Arden's mother had been forced to resort to a waitress job in the day and a prostitution job at night before her death? Did he suspect that the boy had been born of one of her favorite clients and not his own loins?

Had he blamed himself so much for that one single bit of knowledge that he gave Arden to her aunt and uncle and left them to raise her on their own? Or was there something more substantial, like the knowledge that her aunt and uncle would have to adopt in order to have children at any rate? Did he know about her aunt's inability to naturally produce offspring and her uncle's incapacity in such arousal? Or had he left her because his way of life was too dangerous for her to travel with him and he had dropped her off with her aunt and uncle so she wouldn't be alone for weeks, if not months at a time?

These questions plagued her mind as she headed back to Bunduki, where she was welcomed by the people and a ceremony was about to be held in her honor. Due to the lack of formality in her induction as a Jedi Padawan, Arden was pleasantly surprised to find a party waiting for her there. She was especially glad to see a Hoop Dance underway upon her arrival and the drums being used.

The drums themselves produced a rumbling but calming sound at the same time as a beat occurred in rapid enough succession for it to be continued as a High Priest played the flute. "What's the song?" she asked a student she knew. "Dine (pronounced din-eh), typical initiation instrumental," he answered. _I remember this song, it was played upon my arrival to Bunduki to begin the martial arts training_ she observed silently.

As she would also observe later on, the Palawa had a deep rooting in tribal rituals and ceremonies conducted by shamans. It amazed her how much of the Palawa culture had been maintained despite an attempt at their destruction by the Je'daii Order of old. As the Hoop Dance continued and the Dancer stacked so many hoops that his arms looked like bird-wings, Arden felt like she was flying. A closer peek revealed that the story of how the first Follower of Palawa slew a Guardian Dragon with his bare hands but repented by grinding some of its scales to powder and drinking it in soup later.

She already knew how this story would end: when he thought he would die from the ill-effects that consuming the scales had on him, he was actually made stronger and understood the Force. As such, he took his newfound understanding of the Force and was the first to truly create Terras Kasi. "Like the great dragon, the Je'daii Order was a destructive in our culture but now-like the first Terras Kasi warrior- Arden has tamed the beast, consumed its scales and become even stronger as a result. As such, we honor her actions amongst the Jedi today by dubbing her a Steel Hand of Palawa!" another High Priest shouted.

A great shout of applause from the audience came and Arden blushed at the bashfulness this encouraged in her. "Step forth Arden Lyn and accept the amulet of your rank!" a new voice shouted. Arden turned in the direction of the voice and was surprised to see that it was a second of the Great Priests who tranced for a thousand years to meditate and reawoke with grand revelations. It would be another five-hundred years before their next awakening which disappointed Arden but this was good.

Stepping forth, the right-hand man of one of the Great Twelve themselves placed a beautiful amethyst crystal on a golden chain around Arden's neck. A couple tears fell off Arden's eyes but these were instantly wiped away by the second who told her not to cry but to be happy. "You are the first outside-born member to receive this rank in a thousand years," the second added before leaving. Celebrations began after he left including food that seemed to go on for miles in every direction and of many cultures rather than just the Palawans who were strict vegetarians for the most part.

"I am privileged to call you a sister, Arden Lyn," fellow Steel Hand named Hercules told Arden. "Thank you Hercules, I can only hope to be as good a Steel Hand as you are," she replied. "That should be easy enough, I mostly focus on beating people down with a barrage of physical power. The priests were about ready to demote me before I managed to break the mold," he told her, smiling.

"In that case, I will be absolutely sure to learn from your mistake," Arden said as she sat down with a large rancor leg and several different desserts. After the festivities ended and everyone had eaten their fill, Arden headed to continue her pursuit of the Oracle. Days passed after the High Priest told her how to properly use the Black Firestone to find her target on the world of Pelgrin. Arriving on the storm-ridden world, her pilot had some trouble landing her near the huge monolith that was the Oracle.

Thanking him for taking the time to do it properly, she exited the ship and headed for the huge construction before her and it was a sight that inspired awe within her. But of course, she was not here to sightsee: she was here to use the powers of the Oracle to her advantage as well as document it. Taking her comlink out, she began making a series of entries by first outlining the Oracle and observing the brightness of the Black Firestone in proportion to the proximity of the machine. She also observed how the stone self-levitated into a hole of equal size and remained there, the glow ceasing upon union.

"It's strange but it seems as though there's no one here to defend the Oracle from my intrusion. Perhaps they're grateful that I had reunited the Black Firestone with the other Gateway Stones that make up the front door of the machine," she added. However, the lighting of a torch and its throw across the hall revealed that a grimmer fate had occurred with many of the people. _It seems as though, for whatever reason, they fought each other to the death before the survivors left_ she thought.

Because she was supposed to document everything, she documented the grim details and even her thoughts and guesses as to what happened to the people of Pelgrin. "Judging by the contortions of the spines of some of these people, it seems as though someone bent them with the Force. Perhaps the Daughter was offended by their actions and came to undo the ones who caused it," she suggested. But it wasn't like the Daughter, according to Arden's studies, to do this.

This had to be the work of someone else, someone with enough ferocity and enough sheer relentlessness to wield the powers of a god to such deadly ends. "No, change that earlier suggestion: perhaps, Loki the Destroyer came through while he still had immortality and did some of this. I'm heading up the shaft that should lead me to the clockwork, wish me luck on getting there," she said. Then she deactivated her comlink and began the ascent up the tall machine, dodging filthy skeletons and tearing up cobwebs whenever necessary to do either one.

As she ascended however, she found less and less skeletons and cobwebs until she finally arrived at the room bound to contain the clockwork. It seemed as though this part was more sacred than the rest of the building because not even old bloodstains damaged the door. Opening it slowly in case age had taken its toll, she stepped inside. What she saw on the other side of the door was beyond breathtaking: a system that aimed solely on solar alignment to tell visions of the future like no other.

**To worlds, as yet,** unexplored or uninhabited by citizens of the Republic had Xendor the Jedi descendant of Kashi Mer been called. In his first battle, he fought to preserve the Chatos Academy where he learned many of the ancient secrets that had helped form the original Je'daii Order. Documenting the most fascinating of these secrets in his journal, he thanked the resident Paladins for allowing him access to their sacred texts before continuing on his way to other worlds. He had also taken notes on the most fascinating principles of Dai Bendu and Baran Do philosophies.

In either one, he found an uncanny lack of militaristic ability even if it was compensated by the use of powerful Force abilities and/or great martial arts prowess. However, he was most surprised but what he encountered next which began in the form of a scout telling him that potential threats were seen. "Show me where they are!" Xendor ordered. The scout nodded and did just that though instead of a pirate threat, Xendor was surprised to see the Kashi Mer insignia.

"Scout, I don't think this is a threat to us but a message for me," the Jedi told the soldier after a while. "Sir?" the scout inquired. "I haven't seen anything with the sigil of my people, except for the Talisman, since I was a little kid. This variant is the sigil of the Guardians of Breath who, during the Dynasty, used their powers to promote crop growth and healing as well as premonition," Xendor said.

"Were they attacked by the Jedi when the Dynasty was destroyed?" the scout asked. "No, I don't think so. The Guardians were too essential to be afforded the risk of death in the event of a war with a power like the Jedi Order," Xendor answered, shaking his head. Then he ordered the scout to go back to the camp and make sure that the soldiers were vigilant for pirate attacks on them. Meanwhile, Xendor headed for where the source of the sigil had last been seen, ascending the mountain side.

"Whoever you are, you'd best come out now! I'm a son of the Kashi Mer Dynasty like you, my name is Xendor!" he shouted across the ravine beyond the rock wall. At first, there was no response but then he heard a faint but intelligible whisper from the possible source of the sigil. "Xendor, little Xendor alive?" the voice answered.

"Yes, I'm alive. Will you please show yourself to me?" Xendor insisted. "For the King, I shall show myself and the entirety of our people!" the man stated passionately. Were it not for the slope, the Guardian would have been at least a foot and a half taller than Xendor but they were equal height here.

"What do you mean 'King'?" Xendor asked. "Don't you remember? You were the son of the King when the Jedi came to our system and tried to destroy us!" the Guardian answered. "You're the Grandmaster Guardian of Breath, aren't you?" Xendor replied.

"Yes and surely, you must remember that you are the son of our King!" the bigger man demanded. "The only thing I remember of my father was him being kneecapped and decapitated by a Jedi wielding nothing but a straight sword. Unfortunately, her death by arrows and spears is the only thing I remember of my mother as well," Xendor admitted. "It is you, it is you Xendor!" the mysterious man exclaimed with joy.

"And your name?" Xendor requested. "Ah yes, you were too young to really remember me and that may explain why you don't remember your lineage. I am Theseus, son of Atlas, Grandmaster of the Kashi Mer Guardians of Breath," the giant man replied. "What happened to you and the Guardians?" Xendor inquired as he began climbing down the slope alongside Theseus.

"We foresaw the death of the King and the destruction of our people, we tried to warn His Majesty but he would not believe that 'little Jedi' would be powerful enough to destroy us. And at first, neither did we until the visions became vivider and vivider with each passing day. So, three days before the King and Queen were killed, we fled their side and retreated here where we remain in exile. Fearing the Jedi's wrath and vowing to return when the King would come here to guide us once more," Theseus explained

"I'm the only surviving heir of my parents' legacy," Xendor added. "That makes you the King and thus, the time has come for our people to rise from the ashes and take revenge!" Theseus shouted. Tempted as he was to agree with him, Xendor had a feeling that Tiberius still begrudged Pina for keeping Xendor alive and would destroy any other signs of Kashi Mer to cool his fury if he could. "No, that's precisely what the Jedi would want you to try and do, I have a better idea," he said.

"Better? What could be better than gloriously restore our people to what they once were?" Theseus asked. "I'm currently on a mission to destroy the most pestilent pirates that the Republic has ever had to face, I'm a Jedi now in other words. However, because of that, I can be seen talking with the lesser groups or rallying the people on the Penal Worlds," Xendor began.

Theseus stated that he was listening, suspiciously curious as to what Xendor had on his mind. "You can have each of the remaining Guardians seek an audience with the heads of the gangs in the Penal Worlds as well as the captains of the remaining pirate clans whilst you seek the Hutts out. Even if the Jedi see you publicly speaking with them, they wouldn't be able to distinguish you from other pawns. Persuade them all to remain on standby in case I end up rebelling against the Jedi Order, 'The Devouring' being the code that signals them into action," Xendor continued.

"The armies of the Republic would be spread so thinly that the Jedi Order itself would be vulnerable to attack from any who defected from it with military intent on their mind!" Theseus guessed. "Exactly, the fighting of the Penal Worlds, the Hutts, and the remaining pirate clans will combine to spread and divide the Republic Army until the Jedi can no longer count on their aid. It will also leave the Chancellor vulnerable as he would have no more than his Personal Guard and a few dozen others.

"Should diplomatic attempts at an active research into the ways of Bogan fail, this will be the plan. However, should diplomatic attempts succeed, I want the connections you have made to be dissolved and I want your people to remain in hiding until I need you again. I've been obeying the Jedi Order for the lesser portion of half a year already and I have noticed things I wish I didn't notice," Xendor finished. "Very well, I shall alert my people to these developments and I shall see to their immediate creations," Theseus replied.

"Thank you, I'll do what I can to gather evidence for credible research into Bogan and how to counter it first. Then I'll see if I can see if I can set an Academy elsewhere that will teach these rules to others," Xendor stated. "And is it here, now that you've laid out your plan, that our paths split once more?" Theseus asked. "I'm afraid so, so sorry that I couldn't come up with anything more for you to use but remember: it could be years before I send the code so be on special alert during that time," Xendor answered calmly.

Returning to the camp after that fateful encounter, Xendor inquired as to any uncovered evidence of pirate activity. "No sir and we're already coming to the end of our sweep in this system. If nothing turns up, we'll have only two more systems to sweep before we're through," his captain replied. "To think that our six-month expedition is already coming to an end is truly remarkable, I shall miss working with you all as well as those of us who fell along the way," Xendor stated.

"Indeed, there are reports of increased activities on the other two systems which is demanding more of a proper response on our end," the captain said. "And the people shall get a proper and efficient response soon enough, has anyone studied them enough to conclude certain habits? The more information we have about these ones, the more likely we can destroy them," Xendor asked. "Yes, a series of patterns in their movements have already been formed and will be revealed upon our arrival.

"Besides, better to speak of that knowledge in a more confidential setting than what we presently have. Wouldn't you agree?" the captain answered. Xendor nodded that he would agree and thanked the captain once again for what he had told the Jedi warrior. "Not a problem, Master Jedi," the captain said before dismissing himself.

_More than you realize, I am not quite the Jedi you make me out to be in front of the men. Good as it is for motivation, I'm afraid you're going to find out where my true allegiance lies someday_ Xendor thought to himself. _Excellent, you have rekindled the spirit of the remaining Kashi Mer people and war is on the horizon as I have foreseen_ the Talisman spoke in his mind. _I may rely on your power for strength but you can't command my destiny_ Xendor warned.

_Your father said similar words once when he wielded my power against the Jedi. He believed that so long as my power could be withdrawn and used, he was invincible. But, to show him the error of his judgment, I abandoned him in his moment of most dire need. I let him be killed by the Jedi known as Tiberius and was subsequently passed on to you_ the Talisman replied.

Very faintly, Xendor could swear he heard the voice of the Talisman laughing inside his head which was a painful thing to feel. _Gods are not supposed to do that to the people who worship them_ Xendor said when he recovered. _Only when the people are not filled with vanity and mindless lust does that hold true. I acted within the bounds of my being and undid your father more effectively than if I had outright used my power to destroy him as I could do with you_ the Talisman said back.

_Right, then the Jedi would have no choice but to contain or destroy you depending on which one was more possible. You owe your continued existence to me!_ Xendor snapped. _Oh no, my young boy: you will find someday that it is quite the reverse. You will also find that I don't mean vaporizing you when I say that I can destroy you_ the Talisman retorted, cackling once more.


	49. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

Not too long after Arden Lyn and Xendor Kashi Mer had left for their missions, five months before, Tiberius had intended to arrange for a chat with Master Pina about the former. After all, the Head of the Council had observed signs of familiarity with a woman he once knew in this youngling. Digging through his genetic records, he was able to confirm who her parents were but vowed to withhold that information until it suited him. But unfortunately, Pina's duties as a Guardian meant that he was out for missions to frequently for a personal conversation.

So instead, Tiberius had resorted to waiting until the next annual Council meeting and see if an opportunity to use the information for humiliation would come up. In the meantime, he would order Councilman Priam to go to Coruscant and remain at the side of the Chancellor until that next meeting. More than ever, the Chancellor was going to need the support of the Jedi Order if he was going to satisfy the requests of the Senate and crush the doubts of the Courts. _Especially if he plans to win votes for future terms in his seat_ Tiberius added to himself quietly.

However, it seemed as though the mention of the future had acted as a gateway for premonition for Tiberius was then flooded with visions of war and death not unlike what he had fought in before. Smiling unpleasantly, he walked back to his chambers and pulled back the drawer in which he put his sheathed sword away after each training session he had with either other Masters or young Padawans. Had it already been nineteen years since he had used this sword to strike down the King of the Kashi Mer Dynasty in fair combat, that long since Pina had ordered that the King's son be spared? That long since the Guardians of Breath had disappeared into hiding, never to return from Known Space?

Was another war already imminent after nearly fifteen years of watchful, well-earned peace? I had hoped that the Order would know peace when we destroyed the Kashi Mer Dynasty. But somehow, I sense the makings of another great war on the horizon he thought to himself. "Damn you Pina, you should never have spared that boy Xendor!" he exclaimed.

"Are you talking to Pina, Master Tiberius?" a familiar voice, from behind the wall, asked. "No Master Jook-jook, I wasn't," Tiberius answered. Using the door that led into Tiberius' room, Master Jook-jook H'broozin entered Tiberius' room with medicine for Tiberius' headaches. Ever since the attack on Kashi Mer, Tiberius had been troubled with heavy headaches after seeing the future.

Having likely sensed his trouble, Jook-jook pleased Tiberius in always having medicine ready. "You were once a great warrior, weren't you?" Tiberius asked. "In my youth, I was one of the finest. But now my Padawan, Danzigorro may obtain part of my legacy as Blendri has," Jook-jook answered. "How is Blendri doing now, if you don't mind my curiosity?" Tiberius inquired.

"She's fine, she has taken young Cuthallox as a Padawan and is training her in the Jedi way. If this one learns as rapidly as Blendri did, we may have another fine Knight," Jook-jook replied. As Tiberius drank the cold, medicinal soup that Jook-jook had made, he guessed what had ailed him. "Yes, the future has always been a trouble for me amongst all the powers that could be taking a toll on me as a result of killing the King.

"I wonder if he struck me with something during the fighting that impairs me so," Tiberius confessed. "Unlikely, this kind of trouble doesn't come from physical blows such as his sword slicing into your skull. This is something internal, something involving the energies of the Force aligning against you when you use this power," Jook-jook countered. "That's comforting," Tiberius sarcastically stated.

"Even if there is another great war on the horizon, you have improved your strategic abilities and have required all members of the Council to do the same. If it's paid off, it won't be any problem overcoming the causation of this new war, would it?" Jook-jook asked. "I don't know, I truly don't know," Tiberius answered. Exactly why I wish I could just feed you some poison and watch you die Jook-jook thought but didn't say.

For years, the old man had watched as Tiberius ascended to leadership of the Order from very humble Initiate beginnings. During that time, he had seen an unhealthy change in the philosophy of the Order that became less peaceful and more like another piece of the Republic Army. Since then, despite his orders to stay in medicine, Jook-jook trained in combat for the day when he'd challenge Tiberius. For the sake of the Order, he hoped that war did come and kill off Tiberius and those who supported him on the Council unless he managed to do it himself.

"Sir, have you ever considered that perhaps you might be able to prevent war from happening by renouncing your ban on the study of Force traditions outside of the Order?" Jook-jook asked. It was a polite gesture though a futile one, he was accustomed to the answer that he would always get. "Of course not, the ban is there so that the Jedi could be united under a single philosophy rather than several conflicting ones," Tiberius answered. "Sorry Master, I guess I have just become accustomed to the wishful thinking of a foolish old man," Jook-jook stated.

But in truth, he wasn't sorry nor had he fallen into the senility of old age that normally claimed human beings. Rather, he merely put this up as an affront that satisfied Tiberius' own questions about whether or not Danzigorro should remain under Jook-jook's supervision. First chance I get, I shall leave you and you will need someone else to give you medicine Jook-jook vowed silently. "Thank you for the medicine, you are dismissed," Tiberius said.

Bowing, Jook-jook left just in time to hear the beginnings of a river of cheering and he wondered what it could be. Descending down the stairs of the dormitory tower, he saw that younger members of the Order were cheering for the return of Xendor Kashi Mer. "So the young man was able to beat back those pirates, after all," he thought aloud with a smile. Xendor smiled, waved, and thanked the other Padawans with full knowledge that he was no longer a part of their crowd.

Then his eyes fell on the old man and he struggled through the crowd to speak with him. "What would you want with the legendary Miracle Man?" Jook-jook asked. "It's private, do you know somewhere we can go to speak alone?" Xendor replied. Jook-jook nodded and guided Xendor to the sparring chambers which were closed to all except them.

"Here, no one will come in here without my consent or Tiberius' and he doesn't like to be bothered for anything at this late hour," Jook-jook said. "I wonder if he can ever be bothered to do anything that isn't in his best interests sometimes," Xendor admitted. "He seldom does, if ever. I doubt he would have waged war on the Kashi Mer Dynasty if it hadn't served his purpose," Jook-jook said.

"Which is what I came to talk to you about. While I was away I came to a cold, desert planet where I thought there would be few to no inhabitants. Sure enough, almost all the Kashi Mer Guardians of Breath and I found out about my past and about how Tiberius had led the war efforts," Xendor said. "Now you wish to know if Tiberius was the one who struck down your father and ordered your mother's execution," Jook-jook guessed.

Xendor nodded and Jook-jook sighed a heavy sigh despite knowing how old he was and how unintimidating death now sounded to him. "Yes, your father and mother were the rulers of the Dynasty and yes it was Tiberius who killed your father by kneecapping and decapitating him. But it was Councilman Priam who ordered your mother be brutally executed the way she was," he said at last. At first, Xendor didn't know what to say as he could hardly believe what another Jedi had told him.

"And Tiberius would have killed me too were it not for Master Pina's intervention," he said at last. "Yes, Pina defied Tiberius to ensure that you lived to be a strong young man who has served the Order well," Jook-jook admitted. "But why?" Xendor asked. "Because Pina believed that by destroying the Dynasty in cold blood, we had become no better than the Followers of Bogan.

"He believed that in order to be purified of our act of random, fearful violence, we needed to spare the life of one of the children of royalty and raise him as one of our own rather than killing them all. But he chose you due to your connection to the Force and your then-unconscious ability to utilize it somewhat," Jook-jook answered. "So any siblings I had were allowed to die just because they didn't have a connection to the Force?" Xendor demanded. "Had Pina found them, they wouldn't have been allowed but he and I both fear they were likely amongst the first casualties," the old man replied.

Xendor sighed heavily, burdened by the fact that all his family were dead and that he and the Guardians of Breath were the only things left in the ancient Dynasty. "Jook-jook, do you have something I could use for experimentation in better understanding the subtleties of the Force? Any herbs known to react certain ways to certain applications of power under the right circumstances?" he asked. "I may have something but I am not entirely sure what you're looking for just on that note," Jook-jook answered.

"In that case, perhaps something that can react to applications of Bogan and any other destructive power like Darksight from the Way of the Dark?" Xendor replied. "Hm, I may have something but I don't know how long it's been in its bottle for. Most of the herbs and medicines I have are ones that haven't been used at least since the Despot War. I am not entirely sure if the older herbs from the Force Wars have maintained their reactivity this long," Jook-jook admitted.

"I thought there'd be a little more of a challenge in persuading you to help me in studying Bogan than that," Xendor said. "Young boy, I already know why you want to: in order to better understand the ways of Bogan and teach the means to control and/or counter it to others. I once tried the very same thing myself when I was young but to no avail as I had no true Bogan power in me," Jook-jook said. "Now, with the Talisman helping me, perhaps I can realize both our dreams and we can come out as heroes of the Order," Xendor said.

"I'll be getting the plants ready for you as soon as you desire, will there be others who will join us?" Jook-jook asked. "Yes but not immediately: only one will join us for now," Xendor answered. "And who is that one?" Jook-jook inquired. "Arden Lyn," Xendor replied with a smile.

**Returning on the heels** of Jedi Knight Xendor Kashi Mer, her old friend, Arden Lyn had feared her achievements being overshadowed by his own. However, Tiberius had seen to it that she was equally rewarded for her own achievement in finding the Oracle as he had been for his deeds. After that, she decided to see if she could find Xendor himself and ask him what he intended to do with his rank. Hours went by and not a sign of the son of Kashi Mer was to be seen in the Ossus temple but she found him near the sparring chambers after a chat with Jook-jook H'broozin.

_The Healer of the Order? What would the Healer want with Xendor or vice versa?_ Arden asked herself curiously. Walking over to where Xendor was, she was about to ask when he proudly stated that her timing couldn't have been better as he was about to start looking for her. "Wait, why?" she asked aloud.

"Because I wanted to include you into something that Jook-jook and I have unofficially began. Something that may see us coming out as heroes if it's done right," Xendor answered. "I'm listening but I don't understand why you'd want more glory than you already have. You and I have already been allowed to skip over the rank of Padawan and into Knighthood, the first ever to do so," she said.

"You make a very valid point, my old friend but I assure you that this will be even better. We're going to research the mechanisms behind Bogan itself and understand how it works," he said. At first, Arden said nothing as though frozen into place by what he said about researching Bogan. When she finally spoke, what she said might have discouraged him under other circumstances.

"Xendor, that's exactly what the Followers of Bogan tried doing before it corrupted them and ignited the Force Wars. What makes you think you'd have any better luck?" she demanded. "I have the Talisman of my ancestors for one and for two, Jook-jook has our inanimate guinea pigs," he replied. "Herbs from the Force Wars that react to Bogan power being applied to them in a certain way?" she guessed.

"Bingo, we can use it to understand not only what a person possessed by Bogan can do but also research its effects on the mind of the user," he admitted. "You're going to use yourself as a guinea pig as well!" she quietly exclaimed. "Not quite yet but I do intend to get to a point where that may just be the case, yes. But in the meantime, I would like some information from you if you don't mind sharing it," he replied.

"Sure, what can I provide?" she said. She wasn't liking where this was going but it had her curiosity. After all, her aunt and uncle had always encouraged to think outside the box and had told her about how Master Pina was very much a free-thinker himself. But it was when she finally met him that not only was it confirmed but she could see it in action somewhat.

"I would like to know what are some of the core philosophies of the Followers of Palawa? How did they incorporate these philosophies into the training of Terras Kasi or into other life aspects? Did you yourself apply any of these philosophies to aid your understanding of the Jedi Code and if so, how?" he asked. "Well, we-that is the priests of Palawa-believed that after the Jedi destroyed the homeworld, a way to keep them in check was needed to ensure it wouldn't happen again," she replied.

"And Terras Kasi was developed as a result, yes?" he inquired. She nodded and then continued with describing some of the elaborate traditions of the Followers of Palawa. But even so, she made sure that she did not once betray the secret of leadership in the clan for fear of what might happen. After all, early in her training, her supervisors made it clear they wanted no one knowing about the priests.

"Did they ever teach you means by which to fight someone who is armed with a weapon?" Xendor asked at one point. "Before I continue, may I know what has inspired this in you?" Arden replied. "While I was away, I encountered many other Force traditions and learned the fundamentals surrounding many of their beliefs. Just as the Je'daii had been originally a melting pot of a wide range of cultures and philosophies, I believe that the new Jedi Order may need more inclusion.

"You have noticed the way they increase pressure on Initiates to succeed yet will exclude certain ones based on physical or mental malformities, right?" Xendor said. Arden had to admit that she did: shortly after their group had completed their Trials, Tiberius imposed several new regulations. The first of these was a rule that no deformed child would ever be allowed to join the ranks. This order was imposed without regard as to whether or not the child was Force-sensitive as if that wasn't bad enough.

However, he did offer these children a chance to join the Order and become Healers and train under Jook-jook whenever he wasn't training Danzigorro in the mainstream Jedi Code. Tiberius had also declared that in any time of dire need for the Republic, all Jedi were to take up arms at once. Even Healers had to join the fray and Padawans but the last category seemed ridiculous to Arden Lyn.

"Yes, I have noticed. Are you saying that maybe we can persuade Tiberius to loosen up a little bit?" she asked suddenly. "It's possible that we could at least try to persuade him into doing that, yes," he answered quickly. "Then in that case, I'm in but don't think that I won't report these findings to the Jedi if anything really bad happens to you," she warned.

"Arden, you always were the one to do that even if it was something as basic as me stealing some bread for myself. Remember?" he retorted. Smiling, Arden bid him good night and asked to meet him again in the morning for an early start to the experiment. "I was about to ask you that myself," was all the answer she needed before she closed her bedroom door and started meditation.

**As Xendor and Arden** seemed to be talking about something private in the distance, Awdrysta Pina watched quietly. Smiling, he admired their natural chemistry and wondered if that was due to them both having some sort of experience with him. _Perhaps I am to thank for their natural bond towards each other_ he thought hopefully. The hope restored his faith in the future of the Order for with people like them, he didn't doubt that the Jedi would be led into a bright and excellent future.

"I am old and you two are young. When I am gone, there must be someone there to stop Tiberius from taking away what is most valuable to us Jedi and replacing it with his agenda. Of all the Jedi to do that, I hope you two are at the lead," he said aloud. He knew they wouldn't hear him at this distance but he wouldn't have been surprised if they could sense his presence.

After seeing Arden close the door to her room and Xendor retreat to his own, Pina turned his back on the Ossus Temple to head for his next mission. Reports were coming in of more riots in the Republic provinces closest to the Unknown Regions, Chiss rebellion being the least of it. He needed to restore the peace amongst the free peoples of the Unknown Regions and the Republic immediately. After all, establishing connections with the existing cultures was the only way that the Unknown Regions could truly be mapped and recorded for Republic databases across the galaxy.

But that reminded him of his first true mission as a Jedi Knight which had also been his first mission alongside Tiberius. On a rocky desert planet, there had been two brothers who were causing trouble for the rest of the population but not in the ordinary sense. These brothers were assassins who willingly killed for free between waits for clients to pay for their services. When Pina and Tiberius arrived as younger men, they had chased the brothers into a rocky maze that they knew better.

Unfortunately, this meant that Pina and Tiberius were forced to follow their footprints which they had counted on as a means of ensnaring the brave warriors. At one point during the search, Pina had sensed the approach of the brothers though he misperceived the distance between them. As a result, he and Tiberius were about to turn back from a dead end when they struck for the first time. Tiberius was severely wounded and nearly killed but Pina had managed to destroy both of the brothers with ease.

He was reminded of this mission because he had hoped for a chance at diplomacy between the targeted people and the brothers who used them as live targets for their weapons. However, despite the attack doing nothing to shatter Pina's beliefs, Tiberius was forever a changed man. Though both Jedi took in the gratitude of the villagers, Tiberius grew angry and vengeful at his moment of weakness. He vowed to someday obtain the ultimate power possible for a Jedi and finally master death itself.

"Next time I get caught in an ambush like that, I want to ensure that I am immortal no matter what happens!" he had added. Pina had tried to talk him out of this quest and come to his senses but young Tiberius would never listen to him. Now, Pina walked around with the burden of his failures weighing him down with a promise he would never repeat the mistake the brothers represented. He vowed never again to endanger anyone else in his missions and began working for peace by himself.

Ever since that fateful mission, Pina had become famous as either "The Green Blade" or "Justice's Green Blade" or even the occasional "Emerald of Wisdom". The last one put a smile as he reflected on his life and on what he had done for Xendor and Arden Lyn in his time with them. _Perhaps the will of the Force will reveal me to be a fool when it comes to those two._ _Either way, I am content to serve it like any Jedi should_ Pina vowed to himself. Then he arrived to his shuttle which took him to the source of the distress signal he had answered.


	50. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

Since beginning experimentation with Bogan and other Force rituals five years ago, Xendor had come up with some amazing results. Not only did the plants preserved from the Force Wars react well with the Talisman's applications of Bogan but they had grown large. Jook-jook was even able to extract the leaves of certain plants for incredible medicinal benefit when powdered or liquidated. Careful to experiment only when the Council members were not around, they were approach by many Padawans.

Some Knights even took the initiative as to become invested in the experiments as well as the combination of philosophies that Xendor had integrated into a massive, inclusionary system. Every year, members of the Order were nominated to succeed any present officers who retired or to replace them. Twice, Xendor's name came up in the votes which probably meant that hundreds more had voted for him to take the place of a Council member though none stood down nor did he want to take a seat. He felt that his research was too important to give it up for a chair on the Council with "old men".

Pina had a laugh when the comment reached his ear during his expeditions in the Unknown Regions. And when he returned, he publicly encouraged Xendor's attitude in the belief that he was being humble of heart and pure in spirit as any Jedi should strive to be. Tiberius also admitted his respect for Xendor's lack of desire for power though not with such kind comments as Pina's. However, both Pina and Xendor noticed that Initiate numbers were decreasing.

As Tiberius' regulations that kept getting approved with, at most, comments from Pina about their lack of integrity or virtue so too did the numbers of the actual Order suffer. Physically deformed children became Healers or Engineers and were now not allowed swords or other Jedi weapons. Mentally unstable or disordered children were not allowed within a hundred meters of the premises of any Jedi temples across the galaxy due to their "lack of true ability". In addition, Pina had caught fellow members accepting bribes from officials of the Republic in exchange for entrance to the Temples.

Xendor had seen this too and had had enough: now that his research had proven him right on there being a way to understand the very nature of Bogan, he was ready for the big shot. He was ready to ask the Council for approval to research the ways of the Bogan and understand how to confine it. With Arden at his side, whom he married three years ago after igniting an infatuation in them both, he marched to the Council chambers. "And now I give the chamber to Xendor Kashi Mer and his wife, Arden Lyn," Pina said upon their arrival.

The marriage of Xendor and Arden had been no secret, how could two famous people ever escape publicity when making such decisions after all? Though disgruntled, Tiberius had approved it as had Arden's aunt and uncle who were more than thrilled to know he had popped the question. And though the young lovers could clearly tell her was still disgruntled, he didn't hinder their speech. "Councilmen of the Order, wise leaders of the Jedi Order," Xendor began though he was insincere in the formality.

"As you know, I, Arden, Jook-jook, Blendri, Cuthallox, and several others have been working on an immense project for barely a year now. I would like to first reveal the details of our research as well as why we conducted it which will lead to our request for approval. We have been researching the destructive properties of Bogan and we have been asking the question of how we can counter it. Now, thanks to a year's research, we can prove that Bogan can be countered through proper understanding.

"We also believe, though it will require further evidence, that returning the Order to more inclusive days will prove to be one of the best ways to counter Bogan. As we all know, I have been vocal in my disapproval of the rules as have many of my peers amongst Jedi Knights. Reestablishing the humbler ways known to you when you were younger and loved by me and Master Pina can fix this. Thus, my wife and I have come before you to request approval for the continuation of our research in exchange for you being the first to know about any of our discoveries," Xendor concluded.

At first, there was only silence although Tiberius looked like he wanted to say something right away. But some of the Councilmen were indecisive as to whether or not to support this research as anything to do with Bogan was sure to spark controversy. However, when someone finally did speak it was not Tiberius but Councilman Mercury who spoke first. "Let your conscience be your guides men, our decision here could have meaningful consequences for the galaxy," he said.

Smiling, Xendor and Arden thanked him for his support silently and waited to see what the rest of the Councilmen said. "The first to follow the Way of Bogan intended to research and understand its properties but they fell to it as soon as they started. It is remarkable that you have not fallen to the illest effects of being around Bogan but I'm afraid I cannot approve research into it," Tiberius said. "With due respect, Master, those followers did that with intent to make it their power but I don't," Xendor said.

"He researches with the intent of containing or else putting an end to it, Masters! Isn't that worth more than anything else to the Republic and the Jedi?" Arden interjected. Silence occurred at her comment and it was when Tiberius spoke up that the decision was made for all time. "On behalf of the Council, it is my regret to inform you that future research must be denied.

"Cancel any and all plans you have related to this research and wrap up any projects you still have going for right now unless they serve a beneficial purpose. You will not be researching Bogan anymore and you will not endanger the Order with your foolhardy action. Had you come to me before you began your experiments, I might have been a little more approving," Tiberius said. Then he adjourned the meeting before Mercury, Xendor, or Arden could object to his orders for cancellation.

"We did the right thing Xendor, let's just accept what he says and make our own way from there," Arden said in private. "Yes, we will have to make our own way and continue from there. I know just the place to make some new beginnings away from the eyes of the Jedi," Xendor replied calmly. "Where?" she asked.

"Lettow, it's a world pretty much forgotten by most except for the Guardians of Breath. During one of my missions to destroy the pirates, I met Theseus the Guardian leader on a dead world. He told me about Lettow and told me of its strategic positioning in comparison to Ossus," he answered. "Strategic positioning?" she inquired.

"If forced into military action by the Jedi Order, we can reach Ossus with enough forces to destroy Tiberius in a single night. It will come in handy as Tiberius is sure to declare war on us for our next actions," he explained. Smiling, she asked if he knew that she liked his way of thinking and he admitted that she had made sure to it. "I already have a plan that will ensure the numbers of our new order could grow that can be ignited with the aid of the Guardians of Breath," he added.

"Perfect, it would take the Chancellor weeks to have the manpower to aid the Council. Weeks that we could use to grow our numbers until we're ready to confront the Order," she said. "Four months at minimum, actually but you get the idea," he replied. She wasn't sure if she heard him correctly and even asked him if he just said four months.

"Yep, minimum of four months and a maximum of a year easily. Reason being is that the enemies of the Republic will unite to risk everything in one big war. If all goes well, they'll be able to trigger the Republic's desire to purge itself of enemies and take the space they obtained for themselves. When the Guardians of Breath reveal themselves during this conflict, it's also sure to have Tiberius assigning his remaining Council members to face them down, leaving him vulnerable," he explained.

"A most excellent strategy, Master Xendor. I take it that the Council did not approve the continuation of our experiments?" Jook-jook interjected. "No, Master Healer which is why we're taking everything to the abandoned temple on Lettow and setting up an Academy," Xendor said. "A dangerous move but one that is sure to pay off when Tiberius decides to fight us," Jook-jook observed.

"If he'll have the guts to fight before very many join us on Lettow, that won't be the case. However, I doubt that he won't have the guts to start for a while so long as his friends aren't around. Pina is away in the Unknown Regions again which means he'll be all alone in Ossus by the week's end, if not two weeks at the most," Xendor replied. "Should I see to having Blendri, Cuthallox, and my Padawan Danzigorro join us?" Jook-jook asked.

"If you tell Blendri and Cuthallox the situation, it should be more than enough to persuade them to join us on Lettow. However, when you try to get Danzigorro to join us I don't want you forcing him to. Make a persuasive argument if you can but don't force him to join if he's content to stay here with the Order and that's my final word on him," Xendor answered. Jook-jook nodded, a little afraid of what it would mean if his Padawan decided not to join though he wouldn't disobey Xendor and Arden.

"It's all about showing the Order members that we got the bigger shaft and have more freedom to delve into the Force than the Jedi, isn't it?" Arden asked. "Right you are although point be noted that you don't have a shaft or fruit hanging below it," Xendor answered humorously. Arden smiled and shook her head, trying her best to hold in her laughter and any other reaction she might have to that. _Still, that doesn't mean I don't have more courage to understand the Force than Tiberius does_ she thought contentedly.

"Arden, ready a shuttle for Lettow while I gather our belongings and Jook-jook sees to getting some of our allies to join us," Xendor requested. "I will do that, my love. Be careful with my pearls though when you get my stuff, they're a gift from my aunt and very fragile," she replied. He nodded, kissed her, and left to pack his belongings and bring her own with them.

As she boarded the shuttle and booked it for a night travel to Lettow, she looked all around Ossus' great Jedi Temple and wondered if she'd ever see it again. Mortality had a way of making people like her appreciate what there was to be had though she sensed something different. She sensed her life would not end in this time, that she would survive the events to come. It troubled her for there was no indication that Xendor would survive what was to come.

As she finished booking the shuttle for the trip that would occur in just three hours or so, she decided that she would find out what it meant soon enough. There would be a time to worry about the future when it was on the verge of becoming the present but for now, it was still far off. Besides, as a young woman, she still had much to live for even if she didn't truly understand what it was that she had. She hoped that someday she would understand and she would also obtain what she didn't have yet: the identity of her father and the reason he left her in the care of her aunt and uncle.

**Five years was a long** time for anyone to be in the Unknown Regions, living each day as though it could be their last. But for Master Pina, the passage of time was nothing to be concerned with so much as the wonder of the experience. _Perhaps, I am just an old fool clinging to ways that are dying and my only solace from that fact lies in adventures like this_ he once thought to himself. However, this was something especially exciting about this ancient temple that he entered on an abandoned Killik outpost in the depths of a cold, windy world with hazy skies.

At his side, his friend and constant companion Sobek was a little edgy about entering. "What if it's a trap, Awdrysta?" he asked. "My dear friend, in the twenty-eight years that we have known each other, we have been in situations that would have killed others many times over. This is undoubtedly a trap and the fun lies in not only springing it but quelling it from existence as well," Pina answered.

"Twenty-eight years and I have never known you to be this foolish about anything," Sobek told him. "In that same time, I've never known you to be afraid of a challenge," Awdrysta replied. "I'm not afraid, I'm just taking more precautions. Unlike you, I do have a family waiting for me back home," Sobek countered.

The comment hit home with Pina, who remembered the family he could have had if his dear Patricia had not died giving birth to a doomed son. And he especially missed his daughter, who was growing up to be a beautiful and strong young woman like her mother. "Not a day goes by, dear friend, where I don't miss my daughter and wish I could be with her. Where I don't wish that I could tell her that I was her father and answer all her questions as best I could.

"But that life is not meant to be for me, not now that Patricia is dead," he said. "I didn't mean it like that, dear friend," Sobek began. "Don't worry, I know. You're just encouraging us both to be careful about this one and take consideration to our age," Pina interrupted.

"So are we still doing this or have I persuaded you that retreat is in order?" Sobek asked. "You kidding? I'd never turn down a good opportunity for fun like this one," Pina answered. "Then what are we waiting for!?" Sobek demanded.

"Take my sword in case you need an extra one, I'll manage just fine with my spear and you're much better at paired-sword combat anyway," Pina said, handing him his old Jedi Guardian sword. "What's the strategy then?" Sobek inquired. "Split up and meet back at the center of this Palace but watch for any Killiks infected with the Living-Death plague along the way. The local villagers reported sights of infected warriors living in this place," Pina replied.

Sobek nodded and followed the path to his west, swords unsheathed and extended in front of him as he made his cautious approach. Meanwhile, Pina followed the road to the east in the doubt that following the one straight ahead would be a good idea. With the head of his spear extended in front of him as he scanned all possible entries for infected warriors to attack him from, the air chilled him slightly. Long ago, the roof of this place had been destroyed during a collision with Chiss forces along with several window ports and the whole northern wall, exposing vast corridors and rooms to the wind.

Unfortunately, this also meant exposing anyone within these walls to the cold winds that whipped across this forsaken planet and even Pina's thick robes failed to protect him from feeling it. Thankfully, it took most of the temperature out of his ability to feel but his head was exposed despite his long hair and shaggy beard. _Planets like this are irritating despite my love for traveling into the Unknown Regions_he told himself quietly. But as he thought about this, he noticed how unbelievably quiet this nest was despite some larvae here and there.

Occasionally, he did encounter one of the nursing insectoids of the nest and had to put her down despite his best hopes of not having to. Other than that, none of what was supposedly an infected nest of Killiks seemed to be normal in almost every way except for the blacker color that equalled infection. Then the worst happened when he nearly reached the center and heard Sobek shouting for help as well as running like hell towards the center of the ruined palace. Running to save his friend, he counted at least three dozen plagued warriors attacking Sobek despite his best efforts to hold them off.

Launching himself into the fray, Pina was able to kill several, each bearing no more than a single stroke before their heads flew off or their torsos were sliced in half. _Is this a sign of infection or is my spear just that sharp? Either way, Killik warriors are not usually this easy to kill_ Pina observed. "Only one thing will save us now, Sobek: the light of day on the other side of this fortress!" he said aloud.

Just then, the worst happened: Sobek was bitten on the shoulder by one of the infected warriors, the only way the infection could travel onto non-insectoid species. He was able to break free by using a sword to gouge out the eye of the assailant and even leaving it there to suffer. Then Pina and Sobek made their escape out of the fortress that belonged to the infected Killik nest now. As they ran, Pina noticed that the fortress sat on an island of land with a massive chasm spanning miles around it.

Sobek noticed this to as he asked Pina about if he recalled the spell that allowed any Jedi weapon to destroy any inanimate object that it came to touch on the molecular level. It was a spell that would basically melt the structure from the inside out and its remains would be useless for anything. "You're not thinking about using it, are you?" Pina asked. "One of us has to and I'm infected, I can hold them off long enough for the spell to take effect then I'm doomed," Sobek answered.

"We can still save you my friend, just cauterize that wound and we'll see if a doctor can contain the rest of the pathogen!" Pina begged. "I never told you, did I?" Sobek asked suddenly. When Pina said nothing, he continued with what he meant by making that statement so blatantly. "My wife was caught having an affair, a year and a half ago and was executed.

"By order of Tiberius, my children were also put to death for their mother's crime since I couldn't come home and take care of them. I've got nothing to go back to now that they're dead, my parents are dead, and my brother wants nothing to do with me. But you have your daughter to return to even if she doesn't know she has you to consider a father," the old Jedi Warrior explained. Then he added that he wanted Pina to cross the bridge and let him know that he had by letting his spear glow.

Pina nodded and embraced the last remaining man in his life that he could consider a true friend for the last time. "You won't have died in vain, Sobek," he said into his friend's ear. "I know," Sobek replied. Then they parted the embrace and Pina ran as fast as his feet could carry him across the narrow stone bridge that separated these monsters from the rest of this world's populace.

Despite the tremendous length of what was a narrow and relatively thin structure, Pina was able to make it within a matter of a minutes and make the signal. From there, Sobek used his talent of rapidly conjuring a spell that normally took hours to conjure and apply it to the entirety of the bridge. The stone melting until it was nothing more than a thick mud and fell to the invisible bottom of the deep chasm. In the distance, knowing the spell also disintegrated weapons, Pina watched helplessly as his friend died.

A tear, for the first time since he had parted ways with his daughter, fell from his eyes as he watched his friend raise his arms with dignity and accept his fate. In their excitement to tear his flesh and eat him, some of the Killik warriors accidentally pushed him and themselves of the edge as the rest saw. When Pina saw them retreat into their fortress, knowing in some form or another that they were contained there for the rest of their days, he checked to see if he had been scratched or bitten. After seeing that he hadn't been, he walked off slowly to reminisce on the memories he had with Sobek.

Twenty-eight years of excellent adventures across the stars, helping the Republic expand where they could and strengthening their friendship through the tests of courage dealt them by the Force. Now Sobek was gone and Pina had nothing but memories to reflect on with his true friend. The friend that had stuck through thick and thin even when Tiberius had become obsessed with cheating death forever. It was Sobek who had used local powers to heal Tiberius at Pina's request when the assassin brothers had severely wounded him in the attack that Pina killed them in.

Additionally, it was Sobek who had stood beside Awdrysta Pina during both their Trials as Padawans and even collaborated with him on obtaining victory over when they had a common goal. Now, all Pina's friends were either dead or with Tiberius in his struggle to obtain immortality. As if that wasn't bad enough, the only family he had left was his daughter. It was bad because he didn't know how long even she would remain in his life or worse, if he would have to one day fight her or not. _If that day comes, I will have come to the end of my life_ he thought; she was his existence's center now.


	51. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

Arriving on Lettow, Arden Lyn could see why Xendor had chosen it: its climate was similar to that of Ossus so she didn't feel too homesick about it. Of course, that was in addition to there being no Jedi aside from themselves colonizing this world but that was hardly relevant to her. What was relevant included the fact that there was a building much like a Jedi Temple already erected nearby. Smiling, she grabbed her bags and immediately went to go pick out a room while Xendor grabbed his own stuff.

As she came closer and closer to the Temple, she became amazed by the freshness of it both inside and out considering what Xendor had said about its age along the way here. _Lettow will be a great place to settle down for the formation of our Academy, after all_ she thought silently. When she picked out a room she set up her stuff to one side, knowing Xendor would join her soon enough. After that, she decided it was best to meditate and see if she could make some more sense of the premonitions she had received before she left Ossus.

Indeed, she still needed to understand what it was that she was seeing when it came to the vision of a thriving, worldwide metropolis with vehicles speeding through the air in nearly all directions. She need to know what it was about the man in black robes with wrinkled hands and face that was so foreboding. Was this man, who conjured electricity from his fingertips, a product of what Arden and Xendor would eventually create with their actions here? Or was he just simply a dream and nothing more?

Questions like these puzzled Arden Lyn and it was questions like these where she wished she had Master Pina's guidance. More than Tiberius he had been trustworthy about the secrets that her visions foretold as well as his warnings of being careful when sensing the future. He had even warned her that there were many possible ways the future could come to pass. "Just focus on the most vivid one and that shall be the most likely path to the future and don't stray away," he said, which was comforting.

**When Xendor had finally gathered** all his few possessions and went to join Arden in their shared room, he had a strange feeling coming over him. Every time this happened, he had trusted just the mere sight of the Talisman to make it better but even that was barely working anymore. _What are you doing to me?_ he asked it along the way. A short moment of laughter emanated from the telepathic voice of the Talisman followed by the reply it had for him which was grim.

_You have fallen to the sickness that claimed your father long before Tiberius took his life, a sickness only felt by those of the Kashi Mer Dynasty that possess me for a long time. The sickness is addiction to my power and at this point, it is incurable. Soon, you will need feel the need to use my power to destroy your enemies and when that happens, I will shatter your mind. You might not feel it but you will know what it will be like for you soon after I do it and don't worry, you won't be the only one: your precious Arden will feel some of it too!_ it told him.

_No, I will not have you bring her into this!_ _This is between me and you!_ Xendor exclaimed to it. _You foolish boy, you brought her into this the moment you decided to marry her and unite your body with hers_the Talisman replied. Xendor lost all hope at that moment, knowing full well that the Talisman was right on that matter and that he had doomed Arden Lyn to a terrible fate.

Ascending the stairs of his new home for the first time, he had to admit that he was surprised it had taken five years for the Talisman to develop to this point. Most of his family, according to its insights, had fallen victim to the addiction within months of starting to use it to ensure their reign. Even then, most Kings only had forty to fifty years before they died though there were some exceptions. One exception had been Xendor's great-grandfather who had ruled for seventy-six years after obtaining it.

Only one problem: the Talisman ate at his mind during that time until he could not only think new thoughts but could not think up old ones at all. He eventually became senile and was overthrown by his son who would become Xendor's grandfather and the second-to-last generation to rule the Dynasty. Then the worst occurred in his father's thirty-sixth year when a supernova destroyed the homeworld of Kashi and killed Xendor's older sister. It was then, when things could've been better, the Jedi picked up the trail of what remained and slaughter his brother and parents before his eyes while Pina saved him.

Even now, Xendor still wondered why the Talisman liked to break people's minds and ensnare them totally. Perhaps he would find out before he snapped as well but then perhaps not, there was no way he could know right now. Thinking about this as he walked, he almost missed the room that Arden had designated as theirs but was glad to see her upon his arrival. "Something bothering you, Xendor?" she asked.

"No my love, nothing bothering me at all," he lied. "Are you sure?" she insisted. He nodded, stated that he was pretty sure then asked if she could help him unpack a few things. Putting his sword on some rails that he had established for it, he was glad to see that Arden had already picked her closet.

Putting his own clothes in there as well, he decided it might be best just to talk to get the emotions out of the way. "Do you think we're doing a wise thing by making a schism in the Jedi Order?" he asked. "I never thought you would ask that but now that you have, I wonder why," she answered. "Because for most of my life, I was raised by people who were either Jedi themselves or selected by the Order; I never saw my real family after they were butchered when I was five," he said.

"I remember you telling me about that shortly after we became friends when we were kids. You also reiterated it around the time you and I reunited at the Temple especially after Mortis. By the way, what did you see there?" she asked. Chuckling, he realized that he had forgotten all about his visit to the planet Mortis where he met The Ones before continuing with his pirate hunt.

"I saw a triad of beings there who were worshipped as entities of the Force's power. Their names were Father, Daughter, and Son though there was once a Mother who became Abeloth. According to the trio, Abeloth became the embodiment of Chaos after she dipped herself into the Pool of Knowledge and drank from the Font of Power. The Daughter was the embodiment of Ashla and the Son was the embodiment of Bogan, according to legend," Xendor answered.

"And the Father?" she inquired. "I have reason to believe he was the Force itself, the entity that represented the Balance and Harmony between the Ashla and the Bogan," he explained. "Can their power be a threat to us or have any special insights that we can use to our advantage?" she continued. "The Ones have no more and no less legitimacy in the manner of how the Force must be used or approached than any other system that we presently.

"Any philosophy, creed or religion that opens the heart to the Force proves itself to be true. My legions will follow the dictates of such a creed. But that is only a demonstration of the application of power, Arden. It says nothing about the rightness of our beliefs, or the universality of our faith," he replied.

"Legions, Xendor?" she asked. "Ah yes, I forgot to tell you: when we married, we created a sphere of influence over several hundred Jedi Warriors and Sentinels. Our departure means that they will be joining us in a matter of days, having persuaded some of their friends in the process. Jook-jook, Blendri, and Cuthallox wield a similar bubble of power within the ranks of the Order for the same effect.

"It'll be just a matter of time before our numbers burst from less than half a dozen to as many as two to three thousand members. However, to secure any additional growth, I'll be commissioning the Guardians of Breath to begin what I like to call 'The Devouring'. If successful, it shall stall the Republic army and even thin it out so that it cannot spare reinforcements to their Jedi allies. The presence of the Guardians will also bring the attention of every other Councilman except Tiberius and Pina," he replied.

"So that explains why you wanted us to move here before then igniting any conflict with the Jedi or the Republic," she guessed. "Partly, I'm hoping that I can use my status as a former member of the Jedi Order to persuade the Republic to ally with me and my Legions. I shall try and convince the Chancellor of the belief that the Jedi brought this threat down upon them. The only reason the Jedi Council will act against my allies under those conditions would be to cover their tracks," he admitted.

"A cunning but flawed strategy, Xendor," she warned. "How so?" he asked. "Firstly, the Chancellor is Tiberius' distant cousin: do you really think he'll listen to an enemy of his relative? Secondly, the people have not forgotten what it was like fearing Kashi Mer and they will fear you.

"As if that's not bad enough, the Chancellor will _immediately_ suspect a connection between you and the Guardians of Breath in addition to a trap in your offer. Finally, there is the fact that Councilman Priam is still there at the side of the Chancellor according to our reports. How do you intend to get around all that to persuade the Republic that we are not their enemies?" she demanded. Xendor smiled, knowing that Arden Lyn brought up several strategic flaws in his plan to unite the Republic and his forces against the Jedi Order.

"It'll be worth a try but if they don't buy into it, I'll have Blendri on standby with sixteen-thousand troops to attack Coruscant directly. I'll also send Cuthallox to Ossus to attack Tiberius and try to bring him down in the meantime, just to be safe. My aim, however, is to draw all Jedi out and kill them with as little Republic interference as possible though that shall be difficult," he replied. "Do you really think we'll be able to spare that many to a single attack by the end of the next few months?" she asked.

"We'll have at least triple that to spare for any battle across the galaxy," he answered with a nod. "But committing that much to two attacks is risky, not to mention catastrophic if it doesn't pay off with victory! You must have a reason why you're doing this," she exclaimed. "Yes, I hope to avoid as much bloodshed as I possibly can by nailing Tiberius at Ossus and his cousin at Coruscant," he said.

"A quick and deliberate victory meant to end the Jedi and their Republic in a single stroke? No offense, love, but I don't see that happening," she commented. "It probably won't but it is worth a try in order to avoid unnecessary casualties," he admitted. "What about this 'Devouring' you'll have going soon, are those people unnecessary casualties?" she demanded.

"No, they're not though I do hope even in that there will be very little bloodshed. I'll just have to give the signal to ignite it in the morning and find out what it'll be like for us," he replied. "Xendor, Arden, sorry to interrupt but you might want to hear about this!" Jook-jook cut in. "What is it, Master H'broozin?" Xendor asked.

"My Padawan Danzigorro was Knighted for not joining us and has committed his first act to challenging me to a duel on Corulag! Blendri and Cuthallox were there when I received the message about his challenge, what do I do!?" Jook-jook replied. "Only one thing you can do, in that case: accept Danzigorro's challenge," Xendor said remorselessly. Jook-jook let his head slump, perhaps recalling that Danzigorro was the only one of his two Padawans that actually had any kind of power.

"I thought you'd say that Xendor though I must admit I'm not looking forward to facing down my old apprentice. Before his Trials were over, he proved to have the potential to be a superior swordsman than I ever was even in my youth," Jook-jook admitted aloud. "Only way to be sure if he is a superior swordsman to you is if you accept his challenge and find out," Xendor told him. "Yes Xendor, I understand though I would much rather have served some time with you," Jook-jook said.

"Believe me, you have already served more than enough to make Blendri and Cuthallox both jealous. I couldn't thank you more for your services to the cause of researching Bogan than I already have otherwise, I would," Xendor replied. Jook-jook bowed, thanked Xendor for bestowing his gratitude, and picked up his sword to meet the challenge offered by his former Padawan. "I will miss that man and his brilliant research that he has selflessly devoted to our cause," Xendor stated.

"As will we all but I believe Blendri looks like she wanted to share something with us as well," Arden added. "Thank you Mistress, I do. As Xendor anticipated, the Warriors and Sentinels that you two, Cuthallox, and I command are arriving and will land soon. The Jedi Guardians that Jook-jook led will also be joining us very shortly and Sethul and Tun are bringing their compatriots too," Blendri said.

"See Arden, what did I tell you about the Jedi in our spheres of influence coming to join us?" Xendor asked rhetorically. Arden shot her tongue out at him in a playful manner but Xendor forgave it for just that, playfulness. "How many are they altogether?" he asked Blendri. "Give or take, I'd say up to eight thousand easily with each of them having spoken to five to seven of their friends," she answered.

"Then theoretically, that will boost our numbers so that we have at least two hundred thousand members by the end of four months. That's just perfect, just what we need in order to wage any kind of war with the Jedi while the Republic is busy with 'The Devouring'!" Xendor exclaimed. "Be warned, the Jedi will still have us outnumbered three to two even if we succeed in acquiring that many. Plus, they'll have superior strategic understanding of the Republic planets.

"Each of the individuals within our rank will have to carry great potential for Force-usage or sword skill in order to compensate for both of those weaknesses," Blendri said. "Who said we'd be fighting the Jedi on Republic worlds so much as worlds where the first advantage is neutralized? They'll have to rely on their numbers and the skill of their warriors in order to beat us," Xendor said, smiling. "I like you thinking sir and if you like, I can have Cuthallox give you half-year projections," Blendri offered.

"That won't be necessary, friend. I can already run the data in my head for how many members our new Order can hope to acquire in six months. However, I would like you to have Cuthallox come up with an advertisement that can attract the attention of any groups of people the Jedi often exclude. We will need to stand out from the Jedi and offer them a chance to have their say in learning the Force for themselves," he replied.

Blendri nodded, knowing exactly what he was requesting and ran to make sure that Cuthallox obtained the instructions necessary to carry out such a task. "Do you really think it's wise to make our Academy public when Tiberius has already forbidden its existence?" Arden asked. She made sure to have waited until they were alone once more before asking this question of her beloved husband. "So long as we don't attack the Jedi, they can't do shit about fighting us without the Chancellor," he replied.

"Ah, you'll use that to your advantage to say that we're not that helpless and can very much operate on our own in addition to including the people that the Jedi reject. That's a very fine marketing strategy for obtaining more followers in our new order," she stated. "Indeed, now I think you and I can both say we'll need a little sleep before we continue with our operations against the Jedi," he said. She nodded her agreement and cuddled next to him not too long after he lied on his side in their shared bed.

**Returning from the Unknown** Regions for what he felt might be his final time, Pina sensed the winds of change blowing in the Force. It seemed as though much had happened that he didn't know about while he was away and he was determined to find out just what was so different not. The first signs that made him sure of change was that half the crowd at Ossus had disappeared from their homes. _This is strange, I have never seen this planet so empty since I was a boy_ he thought to himself quietly.

"Oh Pina, thank Ashla that you've returned!" Tiberius shouted from atop the Temple. "Why? What's wrong?" Pina asked. "I will tell you in a Council meeting but for now, just know that something very bad has happened!" Tiberius answered.

Following Tiberius up to the Council room, Pina sensed that whatever was worrying Tiberius might have been something that he had forbidden sometime ago. This was especially prominent when he saw half of the Order members gone, including Arden Lyn and Xendor. _What the hell have you two done now?_ he asked himself quietly. Arriving at the Council chambers faster than usual, Pina was surprised to find that even Priam had spared time to come to this emergency meeting.

Standing by the side of the Chancellor was usually a constant duty in the waking hours of any Councilman selected to do so and this was not time spent fulfilling that duty. "Since the rest of us already know about this, I shall be brief with explaining it to you. The Kashi Mer Guardians of Breath have returned and united the Penal Worlds, the Hutts, and many pirate clans against us. They're calling it 'The Devouring' as per the wishes of a leader that they will not name!

"As if that wasn't bad enough, Xendor and Arden Lyn have gone against the will of the Council and formed an Academy that already attracted nearly twenty-thousand members on the planet Lettow. This includes many of our Healers, Archers, Warriors, Sentinels, and Guardians! This new group is calling itself the Legions of Lettow and is expanding at an alarming rate," Tiberius exclaimed rapidly. Inwardly, Pina smiled at the bravery of Arden and Xendor for having gone against Tiberius' will but his exterior betrayed no such pride.

"What else do we know about what's going on, as of right now?" Master Pina asked aloud. "That the Republic forces will be too thinly spread for any reinforcements to aid us if we're attacked by Xendor's forces. We also have reason to believe that Xendor might be the anonymous leader that has encouraged Theseus and his Guardians to come out of hiding so as to stall the Republic to this point. There's no other possible connection to make as Xendor was a Kashi Mer Prince and who but a Kashi Mer Prince would have any interest in spurring the Guardians to action?" Tiberius replied.

"Unless he bumped into them during his pirate hunts, there is no way that Xendor could ever have known about the Guardians. We made sure to that ourselves when we destroyed the remnants of the Dynasty, remember?" Pina inquired. "Don't play games with me Pina, you know that Xendor has hated the Jedi ever since he first arrived on the scene. Even if he did marry Arden Lyn in an attempt to fit in, he still bears a grudge against us Councilmen for striking down his family," Tiberius warned.

"How could he bear a grudge for something he barely remembers having seen? He was only five years old when we killed his family before taking him in on my orders," Pina asked. "Quit defending them, much as I know that you support them, it will do you know good now!" Tiberius answered. "Well, you should have waited for me to return before placing a verdict on their desire to form an Academy," Pina reminded.

"We know what you would have said: you would have defended them in the vague hope that they could restore the more peaceful ways that you follow," Tiberius snapped. "Of course, what other reason would I have to support them?" Pina countered. "Even if they didn't form this Academy, you would have defended them! We couldn't trust you not to throw in your lot with us after so many times that you didn't," Tiberius shouted.

"I defend them even now because it is the right thing to do, to keep the more peaceful and humble origins of our Order alive," Pina replied calmly. "You defend them even now because Arden Lyn is your fucking daughter!" Tiberius roared at the top of his lungs. The comment struck Pina hard in the heart and several Councilmen, including Priam, asked if this was true. Then, when he had finally recovered from the shock of the comment, he spoke. "It's true," he finally said to Priam and the others.


	52. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

Tiberius grinned and sneered at the same time, having forced the truth of Pina's relationship to Arden Lyn out of his former friend. "Hear this gentlemen, Awdrysta Pina the mighty hero who preaches of peace and unity is the father of the traitorous Arden Lyn! You know what we'll have this father of the scum do for us in order to restore face in our eyes?" Tiberius asked. Pina gulped and nearly begged Tiberius not to ask him to have him do anything about Arden Lyn's continued existence.

"The moment the Legions of Lettow move against us, and they will, we'll assign Master Pina to any campaign that sees his daughter leading the opposite end. He is to either kill her and bring her head with the aid of the Sword of Ashla or to perish and be forever branded as a bloodthirsty killer in history. And just to be sure that we'll have this be the case, we're bringing in an old foe of Xendor's to destroy him at the first chance possible: gentlemen, welcome Loki the Destroyer as our ally!" Tiberius shouted. Pina turned to see if this was a bluff just in time to see the gigantic former god duck under the arc of the door and make his entrance into the Council chambers.

"How long has he been here?" Pina demanded. "That is none of your concern but here's what is: he's agreed to fight Xendor and kill him for absolutely no price except that he do it on his own terms. We have agreed to pay that price already and he's agreed to take his revenge against the Kashi Mer scum at the first opportunity possible. In the off chance that he should perish in the effort, you will hunt down Arden Lyn and finish this conflict once and for all," Tiberius replied.

"And if I return, what do I get as a reward?" Pina asked. Tiberius smiled in knowing that if he tied a really ridiculous reward to the deal, Pina would have no choice but to consent. "If you should indeed return with the Sword of Ashla intact and Arden's head severed, you may overthrow us all. As if that isn't generous enough, you can put us all on the executioner's block and select replacements.

"But I know you'd never take your revenge in such a fashion lest you betray your valued doctrines so I will give you the option to put us behind bars for the rest of our natural lives. You can also erase us from the histories as well and preserve whatever version of the truth you want," Tiberius said. When he stopped talking, he tried to see if he could read Pina's thoughts and examine what he was thinking so as to make sure he wasn't up to any tricks. However, he found that the cunning old bastard had set up barriers that prevented him from detecting such suspicious thoughts as say saving Arden.

"Please allow me time to think about it," Pina said at last. "Of course, you'll need it before we have a war of the most personal sort on our hands!" Tiberius snapped happily. "A conflict with a father fighting and possibly killing his own child, I like this!" Loki stated in agreement. "You are one to talk, still stingy about Arkanus and Stygia rejecting you?" Pina asked.

Before Loki could respond, Pina raised the butt of his spear fast enough to hit Loki in the groin and watch him fall. "That's one big disadvantage of being as big and dumb as you are: someone like me can hit you in your boy-girl button with only a little assistance," Pina mocked before leaving. "It'll do you no good to assail your compatriot in such a manner, remember that Pina," Tiberius warned. "The hell with you," Pina replied as he slowly and painfully walked out of the Council chambers.

Tiberius knew that Pina didn't say that because he was resigning from the Order, Pina would never resort to that due to his love of the doctrines. _Therein lies the difference between us, old friend. My moral compass is adaptable while yours isn't_ Tiberius thought but didn't say. "With due respect Tiberius, aren't you being a little harsh on him?" Priam asked.

"Harsh? Nonsense, he's taken far more than anything I could ever hope to throw at him," Tiberius answered. "I am not so sure if this is less than anything that he has taken before: I'm a father myself and hated it when I was forced to kill my own son when he fell to the Living Death plague," Priam stated. "Precisely why I am using his desire to shelter Arden Lyn to persuade him to serve our ends for a change rather than his own," Tiberius replied.

"Hopefully, the histories will be kind to us all," Priam said. "What's that supposed to mean?" Tiberius demanded. "Nothing," Priam replied though it was clearly something. Priam walked away, probably to follow Pina at that point whilst Loki recovered from his earlier groin-shot.

**To Pina, nothing could** have killed him more than hearing Tiberius order him to pit his skills and powers against his only child. Though the well of tears had dried up aside from Sobek's vicious demise at the hand of infected Killiks, anyone seeing his face would have declared him to already be dead. They wouldn't know the reason why but they would be right about that for how could Pina possibly bring himself to attack Arden after having already abandoned her? She was all he had to live for now and he was being asked to destroy her to satisfy the desires of a man he hated now more than ever?

What was he to do, betray the doctrines he abided by and rebel against Tiberius? Was he to unleash his anger upon the Council in a wave of destruction that even Loki would have trouble avoiding?_ Daughter of Mortis, please tell me what I must do or have Arkanus tell me what I must do_ he begged silently. "Having difficulty deciding what to do?" he heard a familiar voice ask him.

"Get the hell away out of my sight Priam, your ventriloquist has already done enough damage to me as it is!" Pina hissed. "Is that any way to treat someone who's come to help you?" Priam inquired. "Help me how?" Pina demanded. "A simple word of advice: when you are on the field of battle, ignore the doctrines and ignore Tiberius.

"Silence even the Force and Gods who grant us the ability to use it whilst denying it to others from telling you anything. Just do what your heart tells you that you must do, I was a father myself and had to put down my only son when he became infected with Living Death plague. If your heart tells you to find a way to save Arden while fooling Tiberius to think her dead, you'll find a way," Priam replied. Then just like that, the brief glimmer of friendship that Priam once had with Pina disappeared and he was another of Tiberius' he-bitches again.

Nonetheless, that brief glimmer had given Pina something to think about, something to ponder as he came closer to making his decision on the terms of Tiberius' bargain. Though he still clutched his spear tightly and thought about these terms rather carefully, Priam had given him some hope. Perhaps, he could use the ancient morichro technique at the first opportunity to save Arden. Indeed, it likely meant that he would have to die and be damned under Tiberius' terms but he would've died saving her.

He would have died making up for the years that he missed out on Arden's life in a single act of fatherly love that would cost him his life. Granted, the effects on her would be tremendous should she ever be reawakened but it was a chance he had to take to help her escape the Council's wrath. Even if he couldn't save Xendor a second time, he was not about to abandon his own flesh and blood now. It was the least he could do to amend the insult he had done Patricia by parting with their daughter.

"Good news Xendor, we're operating almost at the full capacity that was anticipated and several wildfires across Ossus coincided with the departure of those who joined us. In other words, the local economy is sure to be a wreck though it would've collapsed without Republic support. Which also means that Tiberius will have his panties in a bunch about trying to destroy us," Blendri stated. "Excellent, that's almost better than I had hoped and how many more will arrive within the next month?" Xendor asked.

"Give or take, we can expect at least ten to fifteen thousand more to arrive. By the end of four months, we're sure to have sufficient numbers to defend our beliefs if forced to do so by the Jedi. But I take it you're going to have 'The Devouring' continue to rampage just to be safe?" she answered. "It is vital, the more the merrier as they say in both terms of time and numbers," he admitted.

"Very well, you might also be pleased to know that the reason I have come to the number that I did is not because of the arrival coming from Ossus to Lettow. I'm also talking about arrivals coming from as nearby as Coruscant to as far away as the Alaris Prime Temple. We are also attracting a wide range of classes from Warriors and Sentinels to Guardians and Healers," she stated. "Even better, I am very pleased to hear that we are diversifying in the range of our classes as I had hoped," he replied.

"And what have you decided to do in the event that the inevitable Ossus and Coruscant attacks fail?" she asked. "Arden Lyn has already returned to Palawa to persuade the Masters of Terras Kasi to help us in our struggle. I'm also taking the liberty of seeing what the Talisman can tell me in the way of Kashi Mer arsenal and which bits of it can be created by our present material. A good number of soldiers counts for nothing if you don't have good strategy and good arsenal," he answered.

"With due respect, isn't consulting the Kashi Mer Talisman becoming risky for you?" she inquired. "I'll admit that it's slowly breaking down my mind but this is a risk I'm going to have to take in order to ensure the survival of the Legions. How is Cuthallox doing on mapping out worlds that we can use for resources independent of the Republic?" he countered. "She is doing just fine, she's already found worlds that each is more than capable of supplying our growing population.

"In total, her research is showing that our population could have more food and medicinal supplies than are available in the Republic by at least, three fold. We have also found plenty of material for creating weapons for our Force-sensitive and non Force-sensitive soldiers on equally rich moons. Shall I have her continue her search in case she can find ways to flank and destroy the Jedi as well as offer solutions to the need for a hasty retreat?" she said. "Go ahead and have her run that data through, the more we know about what surrounds us the better our chances of winning any battle," he replied.

Blendri bowed and Xendor dismissed her, deciding that he would need concentration in order to consult the Talisman about ancient Kashi Mer weapons that could be used. Specifically, he was after unique ones that would throw the Jedi off guard to see used by the Legions. He would also need to see if there was anything that any of his other incorporated creeds could offer in the very same manner. Granted, he had already calculated that the Dai Bendu would not offer much and Baran Do martial arts was hardly a match for a Terras Kasi Master as Arden had demonstrated not too long ago.

However, he wondered what the Protectorate of the Hidden and the Way of The Dark could offer for him. When the Talisman revealed that while powerful these groups didn't offer useful powers he was initially skeptical but when presented evidence, he moved on. "Tell me what you can recollect of Kashi Mer Dynasty arsenal that can be made for usage against the Jedi," he said at last. _That should be easy enough, some weapons ran on primitive electric systems that would be beyond you._

_The Archer crossbow, for example, fired energy projectiles rather than actual arrows and none of the materials needed for the energy battery exist in any other system. However, there was a primitive grenade design that was extremely effective against the Jedi_ it explained. "What design was this?" he asked. _A type of grenade that could be lit simply by usage of pyrokinesis and then launched through the air to any target; just one has a very destructive range_ it answered.

Suddenly, Xendor had an idea and it was one that might have seemed crazy but could prove effective if attempted. "Tell me the schematics to designing one of these bombs so that I may pass it on to weapons engineers who could design it to suit materials we have. Cuthallox should have come across a world that has plenty of the flammable chemicals that we'd need," he asked the artifact. When the Talisman told him the designs as he drew them, he had to admit he was genuinely impressed by them.

"I'll have my best technicians begin work on mass producing this design immediately!" Xendor exclaimed. _May I inquire as to what the idea is that you have in mind?_ the Talisman's voice asked. "You'll find out when you're with me on the field of battle but I do believe it could be a very effective one," Xendor answered. He finished his reply just in time for a messenger to run up to him and request a moment of his time.

"Jook-jook H'broozin has fallen to the blade of his old apprentice, Danzigorro Potts, on Corulag. As if that isn't bad enough, it looks as though Awdrysta Pina has been selected for war efforts against us should Tiberius declare war with Danzigorro as his vice-commander," the messenger said. _Then it's only a matter of a couple months before Tiberius has the numbers he needs to lead a campaign against us without the aid of the Republic or even action from our end_ Xendor thought. "Thank you scout, keep me updated on what's happening on Ossus and Coruscant as much as you can: I want to know what we'll be attacking the moment I launch forces against those worlds," he ordered.

"Yes sir!" the scout exclaimed with a bow before running away again. _Tiberius, either you really hate my continued survival and independence of your Order or you really fear us. Either way, I'm very concerned about these actions you've been taking against us. Even your actions that are irrelevant to us have me worried when it comes to you_ Xendor said to himself silently.

**"Make no mistake, my Masters.** The Jedi will come for me, my husband, and my Legions but they'll also come for any of their enemies that take their stand during this conflict. They will do their best to purge themselves of as many threats to them as possible by the simple order of Jedi Master Tiberius. As a fellow Steel Hand, all I ask you to consider is this: do you fight and risk all that you have or do you do nothing and risk him coming for you anyway?" Arden asked the Seconds of the Palawa Priests.

"We will consult our superiors about this and see if siding with you is indeed a worthy call. Being a fellow Steel Hand, you should know that the only Palawa duty is to keep the Jedi in check. Keeping them in check does not mean extermination but it can mean coming pretty close to that, if need be," Zeus' Second answered. "I understand Master and I wish I could say there is no pressure but your superior has likely seen that a conflict is already on the horizon, even in his meditation," Arden stated.

"The Great Priests see many things Arden Lyn, from great storms brewing on ocean horizons to simple childbirths that have yet to occur. We will see what they determine to be the best course and we shall report back to you when we possibly can," Zeus' Second said. Arden bowed, thanked him for giving her this audience, and hoped that the Great Priests used their best judgement in this matter.

She left before Zeus' Second could say that they always did, after all, she had heard it many times when she was growing up with the training of Terras Kasi martial arts and Force power. Knowing her tendency to get a little impatient, she decided to visit her old friends assuming any were around. After all, upon obtaining a certain rank, most Followers were sometimes asked to undergo a year-long journey across the galaxy to look for worthy candidates to become the next generation of Palawa. Arden had yet to make such a journey herself but she was told that this was because the Priests had foreseen that there was no need for her to do so at any point in her existence.

She had wondered why and even asked as much but the Seconds had told her that the word of the Priests was the will of Palawa and she was forced to give up. Unfortunately, these revived feelings were worsened by the fact that when she asked, she was told all her friends had gone on that quest. For all she knew, this could be the last chance she had to see any of them again and they were like family. When Zeus' Second, once named Ranmaru, returned for her to tell her of the Council's decision it was more than enough to see her give up and go back up to the Chambers of the Great Priests with him.

After arriving, the Second resumed his place in a chair just below the hovering meditation pad of the Priest named Zeus and connected their minds together. Arden gulped but it was the external only reaction she gave to anything that would have been said or done by the Seconds of the Priests. However, the real excitement came when the Seconds reawoke with their normal eyes replaced by the purple glow that symbolized a successful connection. "Arden Lyn, youngest Steel Hand in the early history of Palawa, the Council has come to a decision.

"Be calmed in the knowledge that we shall do the best we can to help you but please understand that none of your fellow students can directly engage the Jedi. In addition, the Bunduki government can only extend its armies no more than three systems beyond the planet to aid you. Should you accept these terms, we will agree to aid you," Zeus' Second stated. "I accept your terms Master, I understand very well the reasons for why they are in existence," she replied enthusiastically.

"Then this Council is adjourned and the resources of Bunduki shall be yours to command in the war that is sure to come," the Second said with Zeus' voice. Arden marched happily, vowing to keep this excitement up until Xendor could hear the news of her successful negotiation. She hoped that he wasn't up to any trouble in the time left by their separation to get into all kinds of bad things. _I'm probably just overreacting, seeing that I'm his wife but then who knows?_ she asked herself silently.

**Xendor saw his blueprints** quickly replicated and used for forging the weapons on which they were based. "So what were the catapults originally used for?" Xendor asked the Talisman. _Originally, it was used for launching explosive fireballs that could destroy several fortresses_ it replied. _Hmm, could it be possible to combine the best of both catapults and grenades into a single weapon?_

_In other words, someone with pyrokinesis skills could ignite the grenades when they have been loaded up into the catapults and then launched when the fuse is short?_ Xendor asked. _The only flaw with that would indeed be finding people with pyrokinesis but it could be done. Why would you want to suggest launching grenades from catapults?_ it replied.

_Because the grenades are powerful enough to wipe out six squads of Jedi or clear space in their fortified areas whether Temples or groups of tents. If the catapults do the right job, we could use the grenades to direct all Jedi forces right into the blades of the Legions of Lettow. Quite possibly, we could have the most powerful weapon and strategy combined with it that could help us declare victory_ Xendor said._Weapons, strategy, and all those other elements are good ways to win a war but it's not in those alone that a war is won_ the Talisman warned.

_You're right, those elements are executed by soldiers who carry the effort to victory if trained well enough. We have plenty of people with various levels of training, including Masters with their Padawans and other such mixtures_ Xendor stated. _But how fast can you get most of those Padawans trained and made into Knights with war on the horizon?_ the artifact asked. _I truly don't know but I don't see the harm in trying that_ Xendor answered.

"Cuthallox, what's our latest statistical increase on our population?" he asked aloud. "Nearly triple of what it was, two months ago. If this rate is kept up, we could easily hit the hundred and a half thousand mark within the next three months," she answered. "Then we'll be ready to fight the Jedi by the time 'The Devouring' is reaching its final wheels or stopped altogether," he observed.

"That seems very likely but I need permission to extract as many resources as possible before crowding becomes a problem," she said. "Approved, begin extracting as much of the essentials on as many worlds as possible," he replied with a nod. Cuthallox bowed, thanked him, then left to carry his orders out to the subordinates that were at the spearhead of those efforts. Smiling, he was pleased to see her wield such efficiency in non-military matters even if he did miss Arden Lyn, very much.


	53. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

Returning to the Temple on Ossus, Pina had calmed and finally managed to make a decision on what he would do about the existence of Arden and Xendor's Legions of Lettow. "So the great Master Pina has agreed to lead our forces after they make their first attack?" Tiberius asked. "Yes, I don't have a choice anyway," Pina answered. "You are absolutely right, you don't have a choice in the matter.

"However, I will inform you that I don't want you going anywhere just yet. Priam has returned to Coruscant and the others have already been assigned to deal with the Guardians of Breath. Since the others number twelve and the remaining Guardians number twelve, it works out fine, don't you think? Of course not, you'd prefer no violence even on equal grounds if you can," Tiberius mocked.

_You have already sown the seeds of your downfall, Tiberius. Only problem is you just don't know it yet_ Pina thought but didn't say. "Then what would you have me do in the meantime?" he asked aloud. "Stay here and supervise the Temple whilst I set up military modifications so as to be ready for attack," Tiberius answered.

"Is that really necessary?" Pina inquired. "Why not? War is coming, is not? Best to have the modifications and not need them rather than need them and not have them," Tiberius replied.

Pina shrugged and was actually glad he had a chance to lead the Order for a change though he regretted having not taken it when he had the chance. Fourteen years before Arden was born, Pina and Tiberius were both Padawans to a single Master who had nominated Pina to the Council. Jealousy consumed Tiberius' heart and when Pina turned down the offer, he immediately took it. Pina's single greatest mistake then had been to approve him to the nomination and let him grow in his power.

True that Pina would go on to be called the Green Blade by the public and the Wise Youth by the members of the Council of that time and he couldn't be more grateful for that blessing. However, the mission to find the assassin brothers had already corrupted Tiberius' heart beyond all hope of salvation. The power commanded by being a member of the Council at his age had also taken its toll on his sanity and innocence until he was the corrupted fiend that Pina reluctantly served under now. "I can do that easily enough, may I be permitted a private audience with someone I know?" he asked.

"Someone you know, could you be more specific?" Tiberius replied. "A woman, one who owes me a debt for deeds long passed," Pina said. Tiberius only knew one such woman and he nodded his understanding, approving of Pina's request to see her. "Do it for five minutes only though, I don't want you two getting ideas," Tiberius warned.

_Five minutes is all I need for an idea to be passed onto her_ Pina thought silently. When Athena, his requested woman arrived, she immediately asked if the time had come to pay her debt. Fourteen years before Arden Lyn was born, Pina had journeyed as a young Knight to the world of Hippolyte and challenged Queen Athena to a duel in single combat. Because she was challenged in front of her people, she could not deny him and didn't hold back when they actually fought.

However, Pina proved superior after seven consecutive hours of duel in which Hippolyte's body was almost broken beyond all ability to heal. As a result, she was no longer allowed to fight or bears arms of any kind though she remained around Pina as an advice counselor for her people. Ever since the duel, she had been yearning for him to finish what he had started in that duel: her death. The Jedi Code forbid him but he was allowed to keep her around as a friend and eventual concubine.

Only when Patricia entered the picture did Pina begin to attempt to settle down and have a family and Athena was not content that he would intertwine his life with someone else. In fact, she had begged him do so and explained that she was content to be a mere concubine. But her people demanded Athena's status as concubine revoked soon after the marriage and rendered her a maid. Now however, Athena and Pina were simply close friends and when Pina told her that her debt was soon to be settled, it was exciting to her.

"My daughter, Arden Lyn, is husband to the leader of the Legions of Lettow and Tiberius seeks to kill them both for their rebellion against the Order. When we inevitably reach Lettow in our campaign, I want you there beside my daughter and I want you ready to take my spear on her behalf. You do still wish that I finish what I started with the duel all those years ago, don't you?" he added. "With the same amount of heart and passion as I did when I first begged you to give me a quick death," she replied.

"Very well, go to the Legions and if my daughter or anyone ask why you're here then you say that you would like to only say that you're here for your own reasons. Tell Arden nothing of the truth until after you have taken my spear blow for her, remain close to her until then and be ready," he said. "I'll gladly perform this final service to you, my dear friend," she replied, playing with a strand of hair. "Forgive me for having not told you sooner but I must admit that if anyone ever had the potential to take Patricia's place after her death, assuming I could find the strength to move on, you'd have been the one.

"I am sorry that it has taken me until I have reached old age to express the feelings I had for you, not too long after I took you into my care and gave you a new life. Can you ever forgive me that youthful arrogance and delusion?" he asked. "You need not apologize or regret past deeds, I always knew and I always had the same feelings for you," she answered. The two of them shared a gentle, reminiscent kiss that reminded them not of any youthful love but of what might have been.

"I hope that in the netherworld, our souls will meet again so that we can have more time to express this love," he stated. "There is no need to worry about what will happen after death. All that should be mattering to you now is your daughter as she is all that matters to me now," she replied. "Thank you Athena, I will miss you," he said.

"I know," she stated before leaving him to go pack her provisions. Smiling, he was glad that he had been able to count on her all these years. Now that the matter of buying himself more time to prepare the morichro had been granted with her sacrifice, he could worry about his other duties. _Where do I begin with execute the tasks that Tiberius has asked of me?_ he asked himself silently. Deciding to meditate, he figured that he could at least appear to be productive when he wasn't for the present.

**"We have many allies** who give us strength with each passing day but we still need the side of the Republic in order to secure our victory against the Jedi. Blendri, how well did you do in the Temple simulations on leading armies?" Xendor asked. "Aced it down to the last element except for strategy but I suppose you have that covered for me already," Blendri answered. "Yes, I have that taken care of to the best of my ability but I need a good negotiator which you are," Xendor replied.

"I will see what I can do about persuading the Chancellor to side with us but I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. Tiberius has got him bent over like a common whore and persuading him will not be easy if it's even possible," she warned. "I never wanted easy, just the knowledge that it could be done," he said reassuringly. Just then, Arden entered the smithy and Blendri dismissed herself in order to begin preparations for her trip to Coruscant while she sent Cuthallox with the Ossus taskforce.

"What news from the Palawa?" Xendor asked immediately. "They won't be able to help us beyond the bounds of three systems in each direction from Bunduki but they've agreed. Their armies will join us in the coming war and I believe that they may play a big part," Arden answered. She was surprised that he would get down to business so quickly but she probably should have expected it.

With war sure to begin at any time and the future of The Devouring uncertain, the Jedi could attack them at any moment even without the Chancellor's approval. "All that matters is that we are now ready to fight against the Jedi, that much is for sure. If we can get the Republic to join us, we'll be victorious but if not then we will still be able to put up quite a display before the end. As it is, Republic forces will be too weak to join the Jedi by the end of the Devouring even if they win," Xendor said.

"Then why ask them to aid us if that's the case?" Arden asked. "Because even so, the Jedi will have already lost half the battle if the Republic joined us even before fighting started. We could potentially persuade Tiberius to surrender power when this is over. Besides that, I can also persuade Theseus and his remaining Guardians to stand down and end the Devouring altogether," he answered.

"That would be dangerous, to ask them to end it after the Republic has joined us and that's just assuming that the Chancellor agrees," she warned. "Dangerous perhaps but necessary to prove our loyalty to the Republic if it's added into our alliance to destroy the Jedi. Besides, I did intend to dispose of any remaining Guardians of Breath with the Talisman when it was over anyway," he replied. "Spoken like a true Follower of Bogan, I thought we were trying to find out how to destroy it," she said.

"No, spoken like someone who knows that the Kashi Mer Dynasty will need to be first torn down to the foundation and then rebuilt anew. The Guardians of Breath, useful as they have been and much as I'd like to keep them around, are a hindering element of the past. Destroying them means that we will be able to rebuild the Dynasty under a new, stronger image than existed before," he snapped. "Xendor, there is no honor in that; there is no honor in creating a dynasty in that way," she told him.

Then suddenly he let his anger control him and he hissed at her as he spoke with naught but disgust in the hiss. "What do you know about restoring dynasties? Nothing!" he said in that tone. Arden was surprised that he would take his anger out on her and some of the blacksmiths stopped their work.

They were curious to see what would happen but Xendor ordered them to get back on track with making the arsenal that he had demanded to have his armies supplied with. "I'm sorry Arden, I don't know why I said that," he said when he returned to her. "I do: it's the Talisman, I've seen the way you act with it in your possession. You're not eating and you seldom sleep, you don't even meditate anymore.

"You have to fight it Xendor, you have to destroy it before it destroys you," she begged. "Do not tell me what I have to or don't have to do, woman! The Talisman was entrusted to me and me alone for a reason!" he shouted at her. "Listen to yourself, do you know who you sound like?" she asked.

"A King of Kashi Mer, who else?" he replied. "How about fucking Tiberius, sounds better to compare how you presently are to how he _always_ is!" she exclaimed. "Do not compare me to that pitiful little coward who hides in his Temple on Ossus!" he shouted. Then he did the worst thing possible whilst still remaining under the possession of the Talisman: he backhanded Arden in the face.

Giving into her own rage, Arden retaliated by unleashing a punishing volley of Force Lightning which he could not deflect. "You _dare_ strike at me!?" she demanded. Within seconds of receiving the blow, the marks from Xendor's fingers swelled purple on her right cheek and were painful. She stopped short of killing him or knocking him cold at which point, she collapsed and sobbed what she had done.

Tun stopped what he was doing and asked to take her somewhere away from the forge to cool down and recover from what had happened. Arden took his offer and he guided her away from the scene of the fight, an arm wrapped around her for comfort as he did so. Sethul, meanwhile, carried Xendor back up to the room he shared with Arden and saw to his healing from the Lightning. However, both men wondered if the Talisman was trying to divide the Legions in their most desperate hour.

After all, if that was the case, it was doing a damned good job of dividing Arden and Xendor on intentions for the future of the group. When Arden finally managed to put a cold, wet cloth on the purple finger marks that Xendor's slap left on her cheek, she thanked Tun for his help and even hugged him. Then she went up to her room, where Xendor lied next to her and she tried to rest in the hopes of forgetting what had happened or at least putting it aside for the protection of the Legions of Lettow. _Why does the Talisman do this sort of thing to people, even people who love each other like Xendor and I love each other?_ she asked herself quietly.

She knew it wasn't Xendor acting of his own free will, she knew it was the Talisman taking possession of his mind long enough to influence even her to evil action. But the worst thing was that she knew the Talisman had been doing it to Kashi Kings for centuries and doing it well too. She wondered if she could persuade Xendor to hand it to her and see if she could neutralize its power to possess minds. After all, it had so much work on Kashi Mer humans that the spirit trapped in it might not have power over any other humans; it was all a matter of hoping that something could be done to counter it.

**Councilman Priam was witness** to the arrival of Legionnaire General Blendri to see the Chancellor and he had to admit that he was disappointed that she had come alone. _So confident that you can defend yourself against me that you come alone, eh? No matter, I'll rectify that opinion when we're on the battlefield as I know we will be_ he thought to himself with a smile. When she did arrive, she immediately requested to speak with the Chancellor alone.

Priam knew he would be able to listen to the discussion even without his physical presence being there so he was content to hear it from outside anyway. "Why have you come, Master Blendri?" the Chancellor asked immediately. "I come with news that might shock you down to your core, news of who your true enemy is and it is not the Legions of Lettow. In fact, we want to help you save yourself from the real enemy that is at large even as we speak in this chamber," Blendri answered.

Priam raised an eyebrow in suspicion, wondering if she meant the Jedi or some other force that had yet to present itself. "And what enemy is that?" the Chancellor inquired. "Priam represents it, of course," Blendri replied. "You mean to tell me that the Jedi Order is not to be trusted, what proof do you have of this?" the Chancellor demanded.

Priam smiled, doubting that Blendri could bring up anything that would back up her case. "How about the way Tiberius 'persuaded' you to approve of a taskforce to destroy the Kashi Mer Dynasty? Better yet, how about the time Tiberius lied to you about the threat posed by the Followers of Palawa and massacred many of their people before leaving them to rot on Bunduki? Or how about the time that he went to Vahla and banished the Ember of Vahla, destroying their homeworld in the process?

"What more do I need in the way of evidence to prove that the Jedi are your enemy?" she replied. "I approved of every single one of those actions with my stamp! He has committed no crime with those acts," he snapped. Priam smiled, glad to see that the Chancellor was still talking sense like he should be.

"Yet you uncovered evidence that he had committed perjury in order to persuade you to approve of each action though you never brought it up, did you not? And not only were you so fearful of his power that you didn't bring it up, you also destroyed that evidence," she calmly countered. _How the hell does she know about that?_ Priam asked himself angrily. "The past is the past but I am surprised that you know that however, what happens if I say no to joining?" the Chancellor continued.

Priam calmed, glad to see that the Chancellor was remaining straight in the face of such overwhelming truth being used against him. "Then I'm afraid that I have sixteen thousand troops waiting with orders to destroy Coruscant and help me absorb the assets of the Republic unless you surrender. At most, I sense you only have two thousand Elite Guard to use against us if you did choose to fight against us which wouldn't be wise," Blendri replied. "Sixteen thousand?" the Chancellor asked.

"Yes and we have another force of equal size that we'll be deploying to Ossus in a few days," Blendri answered. _No, impossible! There is no way that so many troops could be raked up and used for just two attacks unless there's a deeper purpose to that in Xendor's mind_ Priam thought. "I take it Xendor wants to emerge victorious with as little bloodshed as possible but with those kinds of odds, why should I join you when it looks like you'll be victorious anyway?" the Chancellor asked.

"Because even with Tiberius gone, there are still those who could take his place like Awdrysta Pina. Thus, even if we destroyed Ossus, we'd still have to fight the Jedi if they chose to keep fighting. But with the Republic on our side, we can persuade Tiberius' successor into a surrender," Blendri explained. _Hm, she does bring a good point by saying that and that makes more sense than sending thirty-two thousand troops to two planets for no reason_ Priam observed silently.

The Chancellor was deep in thought, Priam sensed, and the decision of possibly thousands of lives weighed on him heavily. "My troops are already spread thin from the Devouring, an attack on Coruscant that succeeded would mean the collapse of the Republic. This is an offer that only a madman would refuse, seeing that the Legions will win either way if Coruscant is taken. But my Elite Guard are made up of Jedi Warriors, Sentinels, and Guardians trained to the bone for such things as this.

"Call me madman if you wish but I'll take my chances fighting against your armies and letting you earn the right to wield the military might of the Republic if you can," he said at last. "I warn you one last time Chancellor, do not do this! It'll only mean your ruin when we succeed and a disgraceful end to your existence is insured even if you miraculously succeed somehow," she begged. "Maybe so but I have already chosen my path long before you were born and I will follow it to the end," he said.

Priam smiled and glorified it when the Chancellor told Blendri to take his terms back to Xendor with the addition of a promise that the Republic will do what it could to aid the Jedi. "The Devouring is almost over and we can still fight a war if we have to. Xendor is a traitorous, bloodthirsty warlord and all who associate with him are traitors to the Republic and the Jedi Order," he stated. Blendri calmly left, thanked him for at least seeing her, then left to prepare her troops for the war that was sure to come.

"Priam, I need your help. What can I do to stop a force of that size? I've just condemned my Guards to be dispatched with relative ease and allowed an army to march on my doorstep," the Chancellor demanded of Priam. "On open plains, an army of that magnitude would destroy any simple taskforce like the Elite Guard with relative ease.

However, her cockiness blinds her to that fact and we can use it against her. Let her armies compact at the Okehazama Narrow and then send the full might of the Elite Guard upon them. In those tight corners, her armies will suffer massive casualties before she can kill a few dozen of our troops. What say you to that plan?" Priam replied.

"Only one problem: the Chancellor cannot be allowed to engage in direct battle in case he is killed," the Chancellor said. "Then let me lead the Elite Guard into victory at the Okehazama Narrow. Even if Blendri wasn't bluffing about her numbers, she'll expect me to lead the opposition anyway," Priam suggested. "Do it, take all my forces and go to the Okehazama Narrow and claim victory for the Republic!" the Chancellor exclaimed.

"As you wish," Priam said with a smile and a bow. Ordering for his armor to be donned, Priam had to admit that this was exciting to him. After all, the last time he had worn his armor or used his sword for combat had been to destroy the Kashi Mer Dynasty with Tiberius and Master Pina. Smiling, he felt honored to be participating in one final battle before the end of his life which he felt was fulfilled.

"Give me a good fight, Blendri. I look forward to facing and defeating you on the field of battle like I helped defeat the Kashi Mer before you were born," he said gleefully. "Truly, it will be worthy of celebration when you return victorious from defeating the Legions of Lettow," his servant stated. "No, the true celebration will lie in the defeat of the Legions of Lettow at their home base," Priam replied.


	54. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

Having sent Blendri to Coruscant and Cuthallox to Ossus, Xendor had to admit that he was nervous about declaring war against the Jedi like this. If neither battle was successful, it meant a full-scale war that would not end until either the Jedi had defeated him or he had defeated them. Then there was the fact that the Talisman was taking possession of his mind as his wife Arden was observing. By now, he had made amends for hitting her and vowed he'd try his best not to let it take possession of his mind.

"Just remember that in time, it will leave you in a mad stupor where you'll be no better than one of the whackos that you were forced to put down in your pirate hunt," she warned. "If it comes to that, I want you to kill me and find a way to destroy the Talisman. In fact, I think it'll soon be time that I give it to you so that you may bear it," he replied. "Wait, why would you give it to me and place this burden upon me?" she asked.

"Because unlike Kashi Mers, normal humans can resist the effects of the Talisman no matter how much they use it. But be warned: the power it gives you comes at a price even so, whether to you or to those around you," he answered. "I understand," she said after a moment. "Let's hope so because our lives and our future may depend on it," he said.

"Masters, may I interrupt? Blendri has just sent word that negotiations with the Chancellor have failed and she'll be engaging the Elite Guard within a matter of days or so. Cuthallox has also sent word that she will be arriving to Ossus in an equally long amount of time and will begin preparing formations. Forgive my interruption if it was most unexpected," a soldier interjected.

"No, your news is somewhat disturbing but your presence is not unexpected or rude. Dismissed, continue to give me and my wife intel as best you can. I want to know the outcome of the battles the moment that it's certain we're either victorious or defeated," Xendor replied. The soldier bowed and turn to leave then Xendor remembered that Councilman Priam was last seen on Coruscant.

"There is one more thing, actually. Did Blendri confirm whether or not the Elite Guard will be led by anyone?" he asked. "She didn't confirm anything but she said she believes Priam will be leading them into battle," the soldier answered. "Very well then tell her I want her to directly engage Priam in combat the moment she confirms that he's aiding the Elite Guard, that is all," Xendor said.

The soldier bowed once more and went to make sure the message was delivered to Blendri for her impending fight on Coruscant. "Why such a serious risk? Priam is so old for a human that she could probably wait for her soldiers to wear him out before then striking him down with ease," Arden asked. "Though inferior to Tiberius, Priam has an uncanny talent for winning battles with only two or three thousand troops in any given battle even when the enemy force was ten times greater," Xendor replied.

Arden understood then that Xendor was taking no chances with allowing Priam to lead two thousand guards with no military training to victory with his uncanny talent. "Has Tiberius done anything like that?" she inquired. "Not likely but he does have the strategic ability to plan out entire battles before then leaving it up to Priam to find a way with the small numbers that he's an expert with," he explained. "Then Cuthallox should have little difficulty taking him down at Ossus unless he can think on the fly and/or Pina is there with him," she suggested.

"I wouldn't be too certain, Tiberius will be desperate to have as much absolute power as the Code will allow him and he is afraid to die without fulfilling his goals. If Pina's there, he'll use his skills to fulfill that end in addition to his emergency strategy skills and military expertise," he countered. "You've thought of everything, haven't you?" she asked. "Almost but I'm not sure what I'll do if both battles fail though I know at least one of them will," he answered.

"Maybe it's just false alarm, Xendor. Who knows? The will of the Force is always mysterious even to the best eyes," she said. "For all our sakes, I hope its will is on our side," he said as he kissed her.

**"Tell me Danzigorro, have** you ever seen the carnage of battle with your own eyes?" Priam asked. Danzigorro Potts had been transferred to an observatory post on Coruscant alongside Councilman Priam after defeating his former Master, Jook-jook H'broozin, in fair combat. And as he thought about how to answer Priam, the memories of the duel had raced back to him. He remembered how he had lured his opponent to a volcano on Corulag and led the duel closer and close to its magma.

Then remembered how Jook-jook had attacked with such malevolent intent despite Danzigorro's best intents to dissuade him from the path of the Legions of Lettow. Worst of all, he remembered how Jook-jook had attacked as though Danzigorro was a Kashi Mer trying to kill him. "It's never too late to turn back to the Light, Master. Tiberius has been nothing but generous to you despite the protestations of the rest of the Council," he had said.

"If only you knew the way he treated me whenever I had to tend to his wounds or cure his ailments with my medicines!" Jook-jook replied before keeping up the fight. Danzigorro decided that the only way to beat Jook-jook was to first wear him down then throw him into the magma chamber. After all, it'd take the blood of his hands unlike killing him with his sword and when Jook-jook showed signs of fatigue in combination to his old age, Danzigorro exploited the first opportunity he obtained. Then he watched as the man who had raised and trained him spiraled down to a fiery depth in the volcano and became one with the Force before he even knew death was coming to him.

So when he answered Priam, he stated that if he meant seeing men cut each other to pieces for a certain cause then he hadn't seen the carnage of battle. "Ha, I expected nothing less from the warrior who first went on the defensive then developed a fatal offense to finish the duel. Your technique has potential to be added as a style of combat for future warriors, you know," Priam told him. "I don't take your meaning sir," Danzigorro admitted.

"You will take it in time, if you don't before this battle is over. I promise you that much," Priam said. "How long before we reach the Narrow?" Danzigorro asked, changing the subject. "We're already there, my dear lad," Priam answered, extending his hand below them to indicate.

Danzigorro looked to see a diagonally sloping hill that led down to the Narrow and would likely serve as a platform to attack from the flank. "Why such a steep overcrop if attacking from the flank in that tight space is already going to do its job well?" Danzigorro asked. "Therein lies a problem, dear lad: there's no guarantee that a mere attack flank will actually play its part that well. In fact, the wisest General is one who makes up a strategy and gives no more than a 50-50 chance of success.

"At any rate, the charge down the hill will give the flank attack some momentum and with that, some power to do serious damage. It's a precaution to prevent a flank attack from falling flat almost from the moment the forces collide and it's always better to be safe than sorry. Even so though, victory is not always guaranteed and I know my luck can turn on me," Priam answered rather uninterestingly. _Or the will of the Force could dictate your death then take your luck away, whichever is first_ Danzigorro thought silently.

"How long before their forces begin arriving in the Narrow?" he inquired aloud. "Not long according to the scouts, no more than a few hours at best. Even then, we'll wait until the very front soldiers are closer to the end of the Narrow before we strike. That way we can kill as many as possible and then use whatever momentum is left from the downhill charge to rise up another hill to repeat it.

"If Blendri is cocky enough, she may stash all her Padawan equivalents right in the line of our blades and we'll be able to make more than enough kills to have a true victory going on," Priam said. "Why would you want to destroy Padawans first before proceeding to the Knights and Masters in the Legions?" Danzigorro asked, shocked he'd hear that. "Each soldier here needs to be able to make at least six kills before perishing if we're to stand any hope of victory. The more we can kill the initial charge, the more likely we'll be able to win this battle before it progresses for long," Priam answered.

Danzigorro nodded in understanding though he didn't necessarily agree with the morality of the strategy. "Captain, how many troops do we have available?" Priam asked a nearby soldier. "We have all two thousand ready to fight and die at your orders. You may initiate the charge whenever you're ready, sir," the captain replied.

"Good then I suggest that you find a good seat and fight only when you need to defend yourself from Legionnaires. In the meantime, watch history as it unfolds in unfiltered detail before your eyes. You're going to understand why Tiberius had hoped the destruction of the Kashi Mer Dynasty meant the end to all war," Priam stated, smiling. Then he absorbed his scabbard shortly after unsheathing his sword and ordered the men to fight and die with honor.

He also requested Jedi Warriors be put in the front with Sentinels in the back and Guardians in the very middle. "Wait until my command then charge with me," he added. _So much buildup to the inevitable, it's almost as disgusting as it is boring_ Danzigorro told himself quietly. Then Priam shouted the signal and two thousand Elite Guard charged down the hill and nearly breakneck speed.

As he watched them descend down to make the attack, Danzigorro didn't doubt that Ossus would be coming under attack around this time as well, thanks to Priam's intel. His duel with Jook-jook on Corulag, this battle on Coruscant, and the inevitable fight at Ossus told him only one thing. That a great schism of the Jedi Order had been initiated, war had returned to this galaxy from within. All he had to wonder was when war and suffering would ever end now that this conflict was underway.

**The stress on Pina's** face was also reflected in the face of every single member of the Jedi Order that he had come across so far. Danzigorro had gained renown for his Knighthood and for killing Jook-jook but even that inspiration was not enough to keep everyone's fears at bay. Tiberius was frantic to make the best military preparations to Ossus' temple as possible but still struggled. Then the worst happened when a scout reported that Priam had engaged Legion forces at Coruscant.

As if that wasn't bad enough, he also reported a force coming from across the Great Plains for the Jedi Temple. "Impossible, how did Xendor manage to rake up a massive force and send it here so quickly!?" Tiberius demanded. "Lettow is conveniently located to give an army of any size speed and efficiency with getting here thus giving them the element of surprise. Now quit talking and rally our forces, we're at war!" Pina exclaimed.

Before Tiberius could stop him, Pina ran across the halls of the Temple to the alarm bell that would signal the others that they were going to be attacked. Using his spear, the ring was more than loud enough for everyone in the temple to hear and answer the call to arms. Then he prepared himself for battle with a quick incantation that would allow him to immediately access Force Valor. He was finding that he was needing it more and more though he was glad there would be others helping him. "Soldier, give me a report on the numbers approaching Ossus at present!" Pina ordered a scout.

"Sixteen thousand as far as I can tell and at best, we can only rake up a little over half that," the scout replied. "Good, then rally everyone who can fight and ready the military customizations for a test of blood. We need to know if Tiberius' arsenal is truly a worthy addition to the fortress of the Ossus Jedi Temple," Pina demanded. "What the hell are you doing, Pina!?" Tiberius exclaimed.

"Using your arsenal to stall the Legions until our main force is ready for the attack. I'll let you lead that force if you want as compensation for what I do here," Pina countered. "Very well, I shall alert them immediately. All Jedi forces, meet with me outside the Temple to defend it!" Tiberius said.

"Archers, I need you all to head to the towers immediately and launch your arrows at the Great Plains. You'll know why when you get there!" Pina shouted. "Yes sir!" the leader replied. "Healers, do what you can to preserve all the herbs and medicines in case the Temple is overrun!

"Save the most vital ones first then work your way down to the most expendable!" Pina continued. "Roger!" the leader of the Healers stated. _Arden, what have you and Xendor done? There can't be any peace between the Jedi and the Legions now_ Pina thought silently.

But then, he reminded himself that if the Legions hadn't struck first then Tiberius would likely find a way to frame them and start a war anyway. At least this was a little more honorable than waiting long enough for Tiberius to make such an elaborate deception since his fear was genuine here. After ensuring that all the preparations were being made, Pina took a breath and began waiting on Tiberius. Even with his fear of death, Tiberius was never one to turn down the chance to personally put down an insurgent force meaning to destroy him.

Pina shook his head in wonder as to how Tiberius could have obtained that fear from those assassin brothers when they had faced far worse even back then. But he kept this thought at bay as he watched Tiberius take all nine thousand of his troops to meet the enemy on the field. Of course, he was wise to wait until the Archers had managed to clear him a little space with their fire arrows. However, Tiberius also was wise to wait until the weekly rain showers managed to put out the fires as well.

Unfortunately though, his wisdom ended there and his dumb luck began for his attack on the numerically superior Legions was impulsive and reckless. Not to mention that despite the Archers using the arsenal to help the main army become a little more numerically equal, there was no strategy in them. It was the desperate fighting of a man who only wanted to ensure the fulfillment of his own vendetta through bloodshed and destruction whenever either were necessary. Some Legionnaires even got past him and made it a point to gloat about it before the Archers brought them down.

However, by the day's end, Tiberius' troops emerged victorious and successfully forced the remnants of the Legionnaire Army to retreat with the aid of the Archers. In many ways, Tiberius' victory over the Legions reminded Pina of how he had chosen to attack the Kashi Mer Dynasty. Pina remembered when he defended their right to practice their ways and how Tiberius had silenced him. He also remembered how Tiberius had planned the entire course on impulse, counting on the supernova.

_Priam was the finest strategist of us all, he knew how to take small numbers and make them the stuff of victorious armies. I wonder if he's doing that at Coruscant, right now_ Pina thought to himself in reminiscence of that time. However, his reminiscence temporarily blinded him to the fact that Loki the Destroyer also played a part in Tiberius' victory during the late part of the battle. "What in the name of the Ones of Mortis were you doing, joining the battle!?" Pina demanded.

"I may be mortal but every now and then, my hammer and my ax like a little blood spilled on them," Loki replied. "That desire will prove most useful for what I'll have you do next. The Followers of Palawa have announced themselves as allies to the Legions of Lettow," Tiberius began. "Let me guess, you want me to persuade them to reveal what they know of the Legions' activities," Loki interrupted.

"I'd prefer you persuaded the Seconds with this bribe that I'll send you with but if you have to, use your brute force to make them see our way. And just to make sure that your lack of gift for words doesn't show, I'm sending you with this message on my behalf," Tiberius replied, handing him a scroll. "You can read, right, or was that not required of the gods?" Pina mocked. "Careful who you insult Pina: Loki is our ally, like it or not and he can turn the strength of a god on you," Tiberius warned.

"Better me than Xendor and Arden," Pina replied. "You still wish to defend them? No worries, we'll remedy that soon enough," Tiberius promised. Don't count on it, a father's love for his child is not easily destroyed Pina mentally stated.

"We'll be checking on the status with Coruscant after Loki leaves, that way we know whether or not we can move forward with our plans. Until then, I want only for the Palawa to betray the Legions even if they don't actually join us for the remainder of this conflict," Tiberius continued. Loki nodded, vowing that he would not fail Tiberius and asked four Warriors to go with him as escort. Though Tiberius didn't see the necessity other than the formality, he approved and made the order.

**The Battle of Coruscant** continued to rage in the Okehazama Narrow as it had for two rainy days. Danzigorro had only been forced to kill five Jedi Warriors in order to protect himself but he watched as Priam cut through the ranks of the Legions with unrelenting momentum. Then he watched as Blendri challenged Priam to a duel only to be killed despite putting up a good fight. Not too long after that happened, the remaining Legionnaires began to call a retreat and fell into chaotic disorder.

However, Danzigorro was most shocked when a wounded Archer from the Legions' side shot an arrow with the last of his strength and saw pass through Priam's throat, killing him instantly. Danzigorro rushed down to assist Priam even though the man would undoubtedly be dead long before the young Knight arrived to aid him and watched as the Elite Guard beat back the Legion forces. When he finally arrived, he held Priam's body close and even watched as his scabbard reappeared in his hand. "It seems too easy to blame everything on Xendor and the Dark Side," Danzigorro said into his audio-recorder.

Sheathing Priam's sword and positioning his corpse so that the stretcher carried him in a formal manner, fit for the old Jedi's funeral. Then, after all that, Danzigorro continued into his audio-recorder with his thoughts about this conflict. "Maybe we... maybe the Jedi were partly to blame too," he added. Then he stopped recording and asked the Captain what the status of their casualties had been as of the end of this battle.

"Nearly eight-hundred of our men are dead and four hundred more are wounded, sir. One thing's for sure: we'd never sustain another attack if those Legionnaires chose to turn around. Even now that we've beaten them, they still outnumber us by an incredible large margin," the Captain answered. "Or maybe they'll go somewhere else so that Xendor doesn't have to sacrifice too many to keep this war going, that would seem more like him," Danzigorro stated.

"With due respect, it'd be wise to remain vigilant for the return of any Legion forces to either Coruscant or Ossus. Both worlds are undoubtedly too weak to sustain another attack from the Legions of Lettow and Xendor is sure to know that too," the captain warned. "True but Tiberius is not without a plan to avoid seeing Coruscant or Ossus sustain another attack, I know that much about his tactics. No, I don't think we'll be seeing another Coruscant or Ossus attack on his watch," Danzigorro replied.

**The Duel of Corulag** and the failures at Ossus and Coruscant troubled Xendor and troubled him immensely. "Looks like I'm going to have to go to Plan B: attack Brentaal IV, Chandrila, Metellos, and Colomus with a force of thirty thousand for each. I didn't want to do this before but Tiberius has forced this out of me," he said. "That could be dangerous, could even leave Lettow vulnerable," Arden warned.

"Not likely, Lettow would still have eighty-thousand troops devoted to its defense. All I need now is someone to lead Brentaal IV while you stay here," he replied. "I can help that," a woman said.


	55. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

"Who are you?" Xendor demanded. "My name is Athena, I was once the Queen of a great warrior-society and a concubine of a Jedi Knight. I have more than enough military experience to lead any army into battle even if not always to victory and besides, you need me to prove myself somehow. Perhaps, this will be my chance," the woman said.

"You do make a good point, you came under the cloak of darkness into our camp and demanded a position of authority. If you emerge victorious at Brentaal IV, you could have that position of power that you requested," Xendor admitted. "I will not fail you Xendor, I promise you that much," Athena stated with a bow. "There's one for Brentaal IV, I think I'll ask Tun and Sethul to lead the Chandrila and Metellos battles respectively," Xendor said after she left.

"Which leaves only Lettow, which I'll defend and Columus which you'll undoubtedly reveal yourself for," Arden guessed. "Correct, I'll need someone to defend Lettow but at the same time I can't afford to just sit by and let others take all the glory from me. I'm sure you understand my need for it, Arden," he replied. "I don't agree with it but I understand it, my love," she said as she kissed him.

Both of them decided to get some rest, knowing that the military preparations would be taken care of and it might possibly be the last time they saw each other again. Any one of the battles, had Xendor or Arden participated, would have seen to their death with a bad hand of luck on them. "Arden, I think it's time I told you something, something I should have told you after I hit you," Xendor said. They were in their room which meant that no one would see Arden flinch and feel the sting of the hit on her cheek as though he had done it again.

"You're right, the Talisman does destroy members of the Kashi Mer Royalty. After all, the very first of my line was the one who sealed the spirit of the god Kashi Mer in that little prism. Which is why, before I leave, I'm going to entrust you with it so that it doesn't fall into the hands of someone evil. Someone like Tiberius, for example," he explained.

"You would entrust me with your one true key to the past of your people and the history of the galaxy?" she asked. "Even with it, I doubt even I would be a match for you without it. After all, I did use its power to win our wedding duel and ensure my marriage to you, remember?" he answered. She nodding, having indeed remembered how he had used it against her which brought a smile to her face.

"Yes, I do remember when you used the Talisman to cheat in the duel for my hand in marriage. I never called you out on it because you were the only man I wanted to marry," she said. "I'm glad you didn't, otherwise I don't think anyone of your suitors would have proven worthy of you," he replied. They kissed and Arden cuddled next to Xendor before both decided to get some sleep for the night before Xendor had to head out in the morning.

However, in the middle of the darkest hours of the night, the Talisman began to stir and it took possession of Xendor once more. "Hey Arden, care to have a little fun before I go?" the possessed man asked his wife. "What do you mean by fun, darling?" she replied sleepily. "You know exactly what I mean, don't play tricks with me, love," he said immediately.

Arden woke up in full to see the power of the Talisman coursing through Xendor, as was symbolized by his eyes glowing ruby red with the aura of his race. "Xendor, please get off. We've tried too many times to have children and have it fail," she begged. "Perhaps, this time will be the time to work," he demanded.

There was a struggle as Xendor tried to maneuver himself in position for intercourse and Arden resisted. "Fight the Talisman, Xendor! Fight its hold over your mind!" she exclaimed. "Shut up!" he ordered.

Finally, he managed to part her legs and expose her female flower before driving the shaft of manhood in. Normally, this would not have hurt Arden much seeing as she had willingly done this with him and romantically. Now however, she could feel every thrust as he slid in and out of her for several minutes until he had finally managed to sow his seed within her. Then the Talisman lost its hold over Xendor and he rolled onto his back, panting as he recovered from what had happened.

Meanwhile, Arden remained wide awake and on her belly, clutching her pillow for several hours before finally getting some sleep. When she did fall asleep, she fell so hard that Xendor had to leave without saying goodbye to her though he left a letter beside her as well as the Talisman. She read it and smiled that he had apologized and confessed that the Talisman could force him to terrible deeds. _I was not even done with that brat, perhaps it's wise of him to have done this_ a foreign voice said.

"Who's there?" Arden asked. _Look down at the prism tied around your neck for your answer_ the voice answered. Arden did just that and observed the Talisman glowing and telling her that she need not speak aloud but talk telepathically.

_You are under my control and mark my words when I say that I intend to make you pay for what you've possessed Xendor to do to me_ she vowed to it. I would be most disappointed about being at your disposal if that weren't the case. _Nonetheless, I must inform you that Xendor is making a grave mistake by going to Columus without me or sending you_ instead it replied. _What in the universe do you mean by that?_ she asked.

_I foresee Xendor's death at the hand of an old enemy, a certain nine-foot-two-inch tall individual wielding a hammer and an ax_ it answered. _Loki the Destroyer but how?_ she demanded. _Trust me when I say that when Loki the Destroyer enters the fray, all hope will be lost on Columus_ the Talisman replied. _Then I have to go there, I have to warn him about Loki!_ she mentally screamed.

_No, you're better off staying here until one of the Generals can take your place such as Athena. She has launched her campaign in Brentaal IV which will be over within a couple weeks_ the Talisman told her. Much as she hated it, she had to admit that it was right: if she left now then it meant leaving Lettow with no leader in the event of an attack. She had to stay until Athena could take her place since Tun and Sethul had orders to join Xendor on Columus when they finished their work.

But she had to wonder what it was about that woman that made her stand out so much from even Tun and Sethul who were the most loyal companions Xendor could possibly ask for. Not to mention, she was older than all four of them and thus not part of their Initiate group. When she first arrived, she had said that she had come for her own reasons. Then, in private, she had said to Arden Lyn that she had known who her father was and could tell her about him.

She vowed that she would tell her after the Brentaal IV battle, should she return victorious. On the one hand, she felt extremely happy to finally answer the questions of her life especially her father. But on the other hand, she was afraid for Xendor and she had to wonder what she would choose when Athena returned. Luckily for her, she had three weeks before Xendor attacked Columus and two before Athena returned under the assumption that she was victorious.

However, Arden had long come to the conclusion that it was best to assume nothing would go to plan even if it did. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst as Xendor would put it and that philosophy had served them well even with the shadow of the Jedi Order lurking upon them. Now there was war and even though Coruscant and Ossus were both defeats, Athena reported victory at Brentaal. Best part about that: she wasn't due to have an outcome for another half-week or so which was great news to Arden since she wanted more time to know who her father was before saving Xendor.

Two days passed by as Athena settled back down into her place at Lettow and then Arden went to ask her in private. Working up the courage, she decided that she would start with a simple request that would get things on the roll. "Tell me about my father," she asked when they were finally alone. "I had hoped you'd ask that as soon as you did," Athena replied before starting.

**Arriving at Bunduki, Loki** had to admit that he was fairly impressed with the scale and beauty of the Palawa Temple. _My father was always tidy and clean in his creations, this is definitely a place that would be up his alley. Mother on the other hand? She'd want to destroy this in a heartbeat, for certain_ he thought with a smile as he compared his godly parents' personalities.

But that thought made him shake his head at the realization that it had been nearly ten thousand years to the day since he was banished by his parents from the realm of the gods as a disappointment. Ten thousand years since Arkanus, the god of justice and order, had looked on him with pity and Stygia, his direct contrast, looked on him with disgust before they both agreed to banish him. Now, however, he reverted his focus onto the guards that were blocking his way and he merely shrugged. "Fear me not for I come with a message from Jedi Grandmaster Tiberius for the Seconds of the Priests of Palawa!" Loki said.

"Why would the Grandmaster of the Jedi have an interest with an enemy nearly destroyed by his Order?" one guard asked. "Because he has an interesting proposition for your leaders. I am not supposed to release the details to anyone but them," Loki answered. "Sorry but we can't let you in unless you share some of the details with us!" the second guard warned.

"You can and you will," Loki replied, grabbing their heads with each hand as he stated his reply. Then he rapidly applied enough pressure to each hand as to smash their skulls and pop their brains out. All this happened so fast that the guards were dead before they even felt what Loki was doing to them. "Your guards are dead and I can break down the door with my ax and hammer if you make it necessary.

"Either give me an audience with your leaders or else I will see to my consultation with them by force!" Loki shouted to the gatekeepers. "They have not been expecting you but we will let you in so as to avoid conflict," one gatekeeper said. The order was barked and the gates were soon opened to reveal the sparring area in which the training occurred and the dojo in which trainers and students lived. _Hm, the structure is impressive and considering its age by mortal standards it does hold out quite well_ Loki observed silently.

Students continued to train despite the nervousness that Loki's size presented to many of the younger students as well as to some of the less experienced Masters. However, an escort arrived to pick up Loki the Destroyer and he was soon on his way to see the Priests and their Seconds. Only then did it seem that those who were nervous earlier would be settling down despite his ominous presence. He couldn't say he blamed them as people had always been intimidated of his gigantic size from the first time that they saw him and thus, this was no surprise.

When he arrived to see the Seconds and their Masters, however, he was genuinely surprised that the Seconds didn't flinch in his presence. At least not visibly but he wondered how long it would be before he rectified that bravado within these mortal individuals. Perhaps a little skull-smashing like with the guards, should they turn out to be hard dealers, would do the trick. Maybe ripping one of them in half by hand would do the trick as well but then, who would know until he had to try it?

"We have been informed that you come with a proposition from Jedi Grandmaster Tiberius that you would like to share with us?" Ranmaru, Second of the High Priest Zeus, asked immediately. "Yes and before I spill the beans, I must ask you to dismiss your guards for privacy sake," Loki answered. "Very well," Ranmaru said before delivering the order for the guards to leave them. "Grandmaster Tiberius is prepared to offer you and the Bunduki government ten thousand credits, the reason?

"He would like you to accept these credits in exchange for you shutting down all operations related to helping the Legions of Lettow. Tiberius is aware that Arden Lyn was trained and raised by your people but you must be persuaded to forsake her in favor of the greater good," Loki explained. Ranmaru paused, perhaps having a history with Arden Lyn like most of the students who were presently residing in the dojo and ten of the Seconds who were present. "Normally, we would consult our Priests about this but the decision falls unto the Seconds of the Priests instead," Ranmaru stated after a while.

"Take your time, I am in no rush but the longer you wait then the longer the galaxy suffers as Tiberius would put it," Loki replied. "In the meantime, we are going to have to ask you to leave while we come to a decision," said an unnamed Second closer to Loki's position in the chamber. He made to escort Loki out but Loki grabbed his head with a single hand and prepared to crush his skull. Suddenly, however, he had a change of heart and let the man go as if feeling no honor in his death.

"I will escort myself out if you need to be alone to make a decision, count on that," Loki warned. Then he proved it by walking through the door despite its comparatively small size and standing in wait for their decision. _How long is it going to take them to decide, I wonder?_ _They made it clear that they are not going to consult their Masters on this matter_ Loki asked himself silently.

Of all the weaknesses Loki had hoped to overcome in the time since his banishment at the hand of his divine parents, impatience was hardly one he thought would give him trouble. He was used to having hunted rancors over the course of weeks with his old wolf pack, used to trailing it down. His patience was nearly infinite when his mortality forced him to kill his pets one at a time. After all, they had followed a fallen god before but the moment they sensed his mortality, they went on the offensive.

Starting with the omega wolf and ending with the alpha wolf, he had to practice the patience of a snake when dealing with them and the constrictive strength of one too. Now he was living only for the demise of Xendor and that was going to have to require patience in order to be done. However, something about waiting for these inferior mortal men to make their decision truly unsettled him. Perhaps, it was because he wasn't making this delivery of his own accord but as part of the exchange that Tiberius had demanded: that Loki serve his needs where necessary in return for killing Xendor.

An hour and a half passed before he heard anything related to the decision, a Second asking him to come in being the first sign of progress. "Well gentlemen, I trust that you have come to a decision?" Loki asked immediately. "Yes: it is the decision of the Council that Tiberius' terms and reward are to be accepted, support to Arden Lyn will be withdrawn within the next three days. However, we ask that we may be allowed to transfer the credits over to the Bunduki government as financial compensation for the losses we've taken during our alliance," Ranmaru answered.

"You can spend the credits on wine and whores for all I care, Tiberius just wanted you to accept it and withdraw support," Loki replied. "Then your business with us is concluded, I presume?" Ranmaru inquired. "Yes, very much so. Thank you for your cooperation and sorry about popping the brains of those guards at the front door, you can replace them right?" Loki replied, smiling.

"Those guards are more expendable than any other unit we have in the Followers of Palawa. I presume you'll be wanting information as to where Xendor intends to strike next?" Ranmaru stated. "That would be most helpful," Loki admitted. "He's sent a General named Athena to Brentaal IV and she has emerged victorious.

"Not too long after that, Tun Bohoi and Sethul Asiage to Chandrila and Metellos respectively. Both emerged victorious in their battles and managed to conquer the outlying systems but of course, this is not the most important bit of news. The most important bit of news is that Xendor intends to strike at Columus next and has already begun assembling forces for that attack," Ranmaru explained. "Tiberius suspected that Xendor would attack Columus and sent a sizable force there under Danzigorro Potts.

"Once again, I thank you for your cooperation and hope that you use those credits for whatever purpose you deem beneficial to your culture and to Bunduki society," Loki said with a bow. Of course, he didn't mean it but he wanted it to sound like he did so as to quell their doubts about his integrity. _Integrity has always been useless to me, why be honest with the creature you're about to kill for dinner if it's only going to get away from you when you are or attack you?_ he reminded himself. Once again, he encountered the escort but he told them he was leaving and proved it by dropping off the chest with the credits and walking away from it.

"For your Masters, they'll know what to do with it better than you will," he said. While the guards were distracted with that, Loki the Destroyer slipped out to leave the Palawa school forever. Smiling as he did so, he rubbed a fist gleefully as he thought about how he would slowly and painfully kill Xendor when they met again. He thought about the possibility of ripping his spine and head off his body or beating him to death with his hammer.

Then he thought about combinations such as beating him with the hammer and then ripping his head off with his spinal cord. Or better yet, perhaps slicing his head in two with his ax after beating him with the hammer or perhaps even just grabbing his head and popping his brains out like the guards. _Actually, I think I'll settle for bashing him in with the hammer: he has no honor and dignity and deserves such a death as that for his crime against me_ Loki told himself silently. Once he finished imagining, he decided to report to Tiberius first and then request permission to go to Columus.

After securing his passage there, he would be done with that pesky little Jedi maniac and maybe even done with this war soon enough. But there was the matter of Arden Lyn being taken care of by her father, Master Awdrysta Pina. Could he do it or would he hesitate at the moment of truth and allow her to kill him instead? Would they both fight to a draw and kill each other in which case, Tiberius would solve two problems for the price of one?

Loki slapped himself upside the head for caring about the father-daughter dilemma that would come after Xendor's death. His revenge, and his revenge alone, were all that mattered to him without any regard for what reward Tiberius offered. The ship that he arrived in, unlike most ships used in the Jedi Order, was outfitted with a hyperspace engine so he arrived to Ossus within a couple hours. During that time, he thought some more about how he would get his revenge on Xendor and how he'd enjoy it.

But he came to the same conclusion as before despite his desire for something even more gruesome than he had concluded. He would beat Xendor to death and perhaps even crush his head with the hammer and would beat him hard enough for him to prolong the punishment. Shrugging, he decided it was good enough and that he would make do with it as best he could for now. "Did they accept my terms?" Tiberius asked.

"Yes and they also let me in on the fall of Brentaal IV, Chandrila, and Metellos by the hands of Generals Athena, Tun Bohoi, and Sethul Asiage respectively. They also added that Xendor would be attacking Columus as you anticipated when you sent Danzigorro there with thirty thousand troops. Does that satisfy or do you need more?" Loki asked. "That won't be necessary however I think now you know where your next destination is, right?" Tiberius answered.

Loki smiled and stated that it had been an honor to help Tiberius save the Jedi Order and the Republic. "No it hasn't, I can see it in your eyes," Tiberius said. "Yeah but so what? You can't help it anymore than I can," Loki replied, shrugging. Their final exchange of words ended like that and Loki was once more on flight to another world only this time, he would be off to the site of his vengeance.


	56. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

Arden's heart was heavy for there were many things that Athena had told her about her father that were not only gratifying but at the same time, burdening. She knew he was a Jedi Guardian who liked nothing more than for the galaxy to be at harmony though he had to be away from home. It was from Athena that she had learned about why she was left alone with her aunt and uncle as a child. "He did it in order to save your life from the loneliness and danger that his duty brought," Athena had said.

In more ways than not, this meant that her father had loved her more than most fathers could ever hope to speak about and in others, it made her feel resentful. Athena explained that she had every right to have mixed-feelings about what she heard but she didn't feel right about it, at all. She had always thought that hearing about her father would be a joyous thing to discover when she finally did. But now, she felt bittersweet and it was far worse than anything she had hoped when it came to learning about her father and who he was.

Now, there were only three days left before Xendor sent his main army to engage the forces commanded by Jedi Knight Danzigorro Potts, Jook-jook's pupil and murderer from the Warrior class. "How long does it take to reach Columus from here on a standard engine?" Arden asked Athena. "At fastest, I'd dare say a day and a half but I could be wrong about that," Athena answered. "Then ready one now, I want to see if I can get to Xendor and change the fate of the Talisman's vision," Arden said.

"Arden, be warned. One often meets their fate on the path they take to avoid it. Your desire to save Xendor could only mean his undoing when you arrive at Columus," Athena warned. "It's better than sitting around and doing nothing when his death is on the horizon at this battle," Arden replied.

"Your ship awaits, I was about to power them all down when you requested a ship to Columus so you don't have to wait for the initial booting," Athena said. "Thank you for understanding!" Arden exclaimed. "Anything for the daughter of the Jedi who defeated me in fair combat," Athena replied calmly. In only a couple hours, Arden Lyn was on her way to Columus, Xendor and hopefully to his salvation.

**"Theseus, what do I** have from 'The Devouring'?" Xendor asked. Before Theseus spoke, he stepped out of the shadows caused by the torches in the tent to reveal the scars of his ordeals. The Jedi thought him dead due to the ferocity of his last battle and his body had indeed gone through breakage. However, Xendor had used the Talisman to heal his worst injuries and leave scars behind for the rest of them.

"You have twelve thousand pirate marauders, six thousand Kashi Mer Macheteros thanks to the revelation of their survival of the Kashi Mer Dynasty's destruction, and eleven thousand criminals. You're only a thousand short of equalling the rabble that the Jedi have managed to rally for this battle as well," Theseus explained. "You will lead our main force into battle while I sneak around with a brigade that will include Tun, Sethul and forty-seven others. Our target will be to get into the Jedi fortifications and either capture or kill Danzigorro, effectively ending this battle with little bloodshed," Xendor replied.

"The Jedi will be expecting this, there's a reason they are countering our rabble with their own," Theseus warned. "True but I doubt they have sixty Jedi to spare even if they have a sizable brigade to counter me. They will need an excellent advantage in order to be able to even equal our number, skill, and ferocity," Xendor countered. "I wouldn't be too sure that they don't if I were you: you've made a lot of enemies and some of them might be waiting for you," Theseus continued.

"Better to have some old enemies waiting for me and me alone than for me and the entire brigade as well. Besides, most of my old enemies are dead or weakened by old age beyond ability to fight," Xendor said. "Most but that doesn't mean all," Theseus insisted. "Theseus, enough!

"I am your King according to the Kashi Mer rules and I am demanding you stop this," Xendor snapped. "Very well, I'll lead the charge against the main army and you lead the brigade into the caves of Columus. With all luck, you'll end up in the exit that leads right into the heart of the Jedi fortress," Theseus replied sadly. _What's got him so worried about me when I have survived battles before?_ Xendor asked himself silently.

"Tun, Sethul, have the warriors assembled: we move within the hour. Theseus, have the army do likewise," he added aloud. Tun and Sethul nodded, racing to gather the brigaders who would be accompanying Xendor into the caves. Theseus stood at the front of the tents and gathered the remnants of the forces of 'The Devouring' for the beginning of the direct assault on the Temple.

As Xendor watched him rally and arouse their anger and thirst for blood, he silently hoped that the Force would be with them and his brigade. _We're going to need this victory if we're going to secure a good enough chunk of the galaxy to launch further attacks on the Jedi. Defeat could only mean the fall of the Legions within a matter of months or so_ he thought grimly. Then he turned to join Tun, Sethul, and the assembled brigade for their part of the Battle of Columus.

**"And so the vermin** gather to destroy each other for all time. Is Xendor really so desperate for troops that he'll call upon rabble from 'The Devouring' to fight the Jedi?" Loki asked. "No, he isn't desperate in any sense of the word: he is just being a little poetic this time around.

"Besides, I don't think he'd do this without some other plan in the works for us. It's not like him from what Jook-jook told me about him before both their defections," Danzigorro answered. "Then let me take the taskforce and go see what he's really up to! I'm sure I can intercept him at the caverns before he can even reach this place!" Loki demanded.

"No, I have a better idea: I will lead the taskforce myself and you will fall in behind, waiting in the shadows to strike. When I engage Xendor and whatever forces are with him, you'll wait until I give you a signal and then you'll attack him from the flanks and have you revenge. You'll know the signal when you hear it, I promise you that much," Danzigorro replied. "Let me guess, you'll apply some Dun moch when you want to signal me into the attack," Loki said.

Danzigorro nodded and decided that it was time to assemble the taskforce that would go down into the caverns with him and Loki. Half of the Jedi's force of a hundred and twenty would remain behind to defend the fortress should Danzigorro and Loki fail but he had a feeling they wouldn't. After all, even though he was no longer immortal Loki still possessed the strength and power of a god. Recent reports from spies showed that Xendor no longer possessed the Talisman which he need to fight Loki.

With only the strength of a mortal, Xendor would stand no chance against the gigantic half-god giant known as Loki the Destroyer. "We're headed for the caves to intercept what we believe is a brigade of Legionnaires under the personal command of Xendor Kashi Mer. Victory will be slim to say the least but if we eliminate Xendor, it could mean the end of the Legions. Fight hard when we meet them and may the Force be with us all," Danzigorro stated to the assembled taskforce.

Danzigorro had Loki wait until he and the taskforce were at least a few dozen meters away from him before then joining them which the fallen god agreed to do. He even offered to see if he could find a way to climb above the taskforce so that he could attack from above when given the signal. "Do that, the more advantages we can have against Xendor, the better off we all will be," Danzigorro said. Loki smiled and took a seat whilst he waited for the taskforce to leave and begin their climb into the caves for the interception.

_I've waited nearly six years for a chance at revenge, I can wait a little longer before its realization_ Loki thought with a smile. After Danzigorro and the taskforce left, Loki waited half an hour which he knew would be plenty of time for them to get a few dozen meters ahead of him in the caves. Once he knew that to be certain, he ascended the sloping wall of the cave for his ambush attack against the subject of his vengeance and reveled in the excitement of it. Not since he hunted rancors back on his forest homeworld had anything invigorated him and made him as ecstatic as finally having his revenge.

**Going into the caves**, Xendor was amazed at the lack of effectiveness the glowsticks had here. So dark and gloomy were the caves that the soldiers literally had to throw several sticks ahead of themselves in order to pick up a trail to follow. _This shall make our attack all the more shocking to the Jedi when we fall upon them like water on rock_ Xendor thought to himself gleefully. For several hours, the caves were so dark that Xendor and his brigade could only see the light of their sticks.

Then they picked up a massive opening in the caves where the sun of Columus pierced into the gloomy cavern and the Legionnaires made their way to it. Unfortunately, just as they began to enter the light, they were met by Danzigorro and the taskforce he had conjured to counter Xendor's brigade. Immediately, the soldier engaged each other in single combat with Tun and Sethul taking on two soldiers aside from the ones already being attacked by the fifty-seven subordinates. Danzigorro also engaged Xendor in fair combat and at first, it seemed to be a draw between the two of them.

But Xendor soon gained the advantage and warned Danzigorro against fighting him after knocking his sword aside and pointing his own at the Jedi's throat. "We both know that I'm superior in a swordfight, good as you are. Surrender now and I promise that you will be spared from certain death," he added. "Do not be too sure that you will be victorious here on Columus, the alliances the Jedi have recently made are stronger than you know," Danzigorro replied with Dun moch in his voice.

Xendor made to ask him what the hell he meant when he heard several rocks tumble from the slope on his right and saw a figure charge at him from the shadows. The light of the sun soon revealed this fast-approaching figure to be Loki the Destroyer, his most ancient of enemies. "Hello Xendor, remember me!?" the fallen god asked as he swung his ax and hammer at Xendor. Jumping out of the way just in time to dodge both weapons, Xendor began retreating back into the shadows.

Tun and Sethul, having just finished off the soldiers they were fighting before, saw Loki's entrance and rushed to aid Xendor whilst Danzigorro walked away with a slashed belly and a limp. Brave and strong as the Legion Generals were, Tun and Sethul would soon realize that they were in over their heads to fight Loki the Destroyer. First Sethul fell when Loki swept him aside with a hit in the head from his hammer then Tun had his brain and eyeballs ripped out by a head-blow from Loki's ax.

"No one is coming to save you now Xendor, be sure of that!" Loki shouted. "Good thing I don't need saving!" Xendor replied from within the darkness. "So you think the darkness will protect you, you are merely adopting it to save your life but I was born in it.

"I was molded by it and refined by it, the light never having been in my sight until Stygia and Arkanus banished me from the Plane of Gods then it was nothing but blinding!" Loki stated. Then he caught Xendor trying to attack him from up on the slope, grabbed him, and smashed him against stone. After that, he punched him in the stomach hard enough to press him into the sandy floor below their feet. "You said you didn't need saving, Xendor, what happened to that?" Loki mocked after releasing his hold on the Legion leader.

The demigod waited a few moments to see if Xendor would reply but instead of that, he witnessed the Kashi Mer rise from the blow and create a duplicate of his sword from his scabbard. "Oh so you think your rare Kashi Mer combat techniques will save you where darkness did not? Admirable, bold, but a mistaken and futile attempt to destroy me," Loki stated before preparing his own weapons. Then his favorite game of cat and mouse began as he swung his hammer and ax to and fro whilst Xendor only tried to bring him down with the technique he called Jar'Kai (once known as Niman).

At one point, Loki got lucky and managed to pin down the duplicate with his ax and destroy the restored scabbard with his hammer before continuing the fight with Xendor. "There's no sense trying to run away from your destiny Xendor, you might as well face me now and die quickly!" Loki yelled. "No thanks, I'd rather prolong my death as long as I can if I am indeed to die here," Xendor replied. Then Loki attacked with full force though his blows landed on a stray shield Xendor found and began using.

**Having barely arrived to** Columus, Arden Lyn could sense that she was already late for Xendor's engagement with Loki the Destroyer. However, she saw Theseus in the distance and immediately demanded that he tell her how to reach the tunnels. "Just to the northwest of you, there's a cave that opens up to the tunnel leading to the fortress, hurry!" he replied. Arden nodded and rushed to the cavern that he spoke of, the fear of losing Xendor carrying her more than the speed of her feet did.

_I will not be a victim of fate! Xendor, I will save you_ Arden vowed silently. _Do not be too sure of that Arden Lyn, for fate is usually unavoidable_ the Kashi Mer Talisman warned her. _Shut up, I will reach him!_ she exclaimed to it.

**Master Tiberius, may I** interrupt? Danzigorro Potts has just reported that the rabble you gathered has engaged Xendor's rabble and Loki is fighting Xendor himself in the Columus cave system. It will only be a matter of time before the fallen god succeeds in destroying Xendor, if he hasn't already done so, and we can move on to the final phase of our plans," a messenger told Tiberius. "Thank you Sergeant, you may return to your post until I give the orders for the troops to move out," Tiberius said.

"What is this that you're up to, now?" Pina asked. "There was a reason I asked Loki to persuade the Bunduki government to cancel its alliance with the Legions of Lettow. Columus is in close proximity to the systems that they control and as such, any attack on it would pose a threat to them. So I bribed them with intent to get at their troops and wipe out every single bit of rabble here.

"A sort of cleansing effect that will be sure to intimidate any remaining scum into either turning themselves in or choosing a new path in life," Tiberius answered. "Only for the Chancellor's private detectives to hunt them down and have them lined up at the executioner's block. The Rakata resorted to similar tactics near the birth of their Infinite Empire before colonizing Known Space," Pina observed. "Except we will be doing it for the effect of benefitting the economy of the Republic by not having to persuade the Chancellor to expend any more Republic manpower to destroying the Legions.

"Thus, the Republic economy can recover while we shield them from the worst of this great war against Xendor. Hence, we are better than the Rakata who used similar tactics (as you mentioned) for the purpose of uniting the people on a path of bloodshed and conquest," Tiberius replied. "I don't see how that's different from what we do now except for a better polish-job and paperwork," Pina said. "Maybe you should spend less time insulting me and more time observing, perhaps you'll find out how we're different that way," Tiberius retorted.

_Doubtful but maybe I will give it a chance. But then, yet again, maybe not_ Pina thought silently. "I take it you'll be wanting me to go back to Ossus just in case something happens to you here?" Pina asked aloud. "You know me too well, old friend: yes, I'll need you back home but do me the kind favor of preparing all our remaining forces for an assault on Lettow.

"Once Xendor and Loki are out of the picture, Arden will undoubtedly step up to take the former's place as leader of the Legions just in time for the end of this war. And just in time for you to come and do your final service to the Order, assuming you don't live past the end of this conflict. That was what you were hoping for, no?" Tiberius answered, mocking him with the statement about his hope. "I don't hope for death but if that is what's to happen, at least my career will end in a less embittered note," Pina replied.

"Good, I have a ship with standard engines waiting to take you home. You'll have a lot to do when you arrive," Tiberius said. Pina bowed and dismissed himself from Tiberius' tent, an informality that Tiberius didn't mind allowing his former friend just this once. "Now Captain, about preparing those troops: how long will it take?" Tiberius asked the Bunduki officer next to him.

"Since they're armed and ready to fight individually as it is, lining them into formation shouldn't take more than an hour," said the officer. "Then I suggest you begin as soon as possible and with the will of the Force on our side, the rabble numbers should die down enough for a quick victory. That is, when we arrive to wipe them out to the last man, of course," Tiberius ordered. "Yes sir," the officer replied with a bow before rushing off to obey him.

Without a doubt, Tiberius was in for a swift victory when he arrived to clean up the rabble and keep the Chancellor's hands clean of their filth. "If I may sir, our orders under you will be to wipe out even the scum that the Jedi Order went to the trouble of baiting out of hiding for this?" a guard asked. "Yes private, my orders are explicitly clear: even the scum that we goaded into this fight will be wiped out by the swords and spears of Bunduki's army upon our arrival.

"We'll attack from the flank and if the element of surprise holds out, we'll have them dead before even a thirtieth of the soldiers are wounded or killed," Tiberius answered. "It'll look like a containment situation on the part of the Bunduki government, a precautionary military action. Not to mention, something that the Republic would not be required to intervene in," the private guessed. "Precisely: this war has become a game of economics, finance, and strategy, as much as manpower, firepower, and superior persistence," Tiberius replied.

"One thing's for sure, the Republic will have a difficult task in developing an economy that can last throughout peacetime," the soldier said. "They won't be developing a system good for only peacetime: if the Chancellor is wise, he'll attempt to develop a system suited for both times. That way even if war does occur, the citizens can find a way to survive without risk of military drafting. This will lessen the loss of assets on the part of the Republic as well as individual citizens.

"But you are right, developing a new economy in any manner will be difficult for the Republic especially as they may most likely have to go back to the foundation and start up again," Tiberius said. Then Tiberius ordered his aides to get his armor and sword ready for his own entrance into the battlefield of Columus. _Never did I think I'd be actually participating in a war after dealing with the Kashi Mer Dynasty with the approval of the Chancellor_ he thought as his aides obeyed him. Even with all his fortitude and certitude, Tiberius still felt a glimmer of guilt, remorse, and perhaps even pity in the case of Pina though he would have to see to crushing this last glimmer soon enough.

But now was not the time: the rabble needed to be dealt with and Theseus, leader of the Guardians of Breath, had revealed himself to be alive even if not entirely well during this conflict. Without a doubt, Tiberius would be remedying the part about being alive when they met on the battlefield again and perhaps even remedying the part about not being well by killing him. If this was the conflict that would see his death, at least Tiberius would go out fighting rather than in senile old age. At least this way, he would finally achieve historical immortality if he couldn't avoid his own demise.

His armor was donned within a matter of minutes and his sword prepared at his belt for a possible final use against Theseus and the rabble. Joining the army outside, he issued the signal to march.


	57. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

For what seemed like eons, Loki the Destroyer and Xendor Kashi Mer continued their duel against one another for the ultimate title of master warrior. However, without the Talisman that bore the family name, Xendor found that he was slowly weakening before his stronger enemy. As Loki continued to bludgeon his shield with his ax and hammer, the magic of the Guardian's shield fading rapidly. The fallen god sensed it through his connection with the Force and was getting increasingly bolder.

Then Xendor thought of an idea that he had hoped would save him: using the shield to cut into Loki's legs then dashing for his sword which had been tossed aside earlier in the duel. When Loki made ready to bear down on his shield with both the ax and the hammer, Xendor made his desperate move. It cut enough into Loki's shins to distract him even if it didn't cause any pain which Xendor had desired. The moment he could seize a chance, he dashed like a madman for where he had last seen his sword and dived close enough to use telekinesis to drag it into his hand.

He recovered his sword just in time to protect his face from colliding with the shield which Loki had used as a discus-like projectile to decapitate him. It hit with enough momentum that his sword cut through a few inches of it, causing it to cling on to his blade with enough strength to retire a huge tug. Unfortunately, by the time Xendor had freed his blade by placing a foot on the shield and pulling, Loki was almost closing on him again. The best Xendor could do against the unanticipated charge of the surprisingly-fast giant as dodge and hope for a weakness at his legs that could be exploited.

He had no such luck and was forced to create distance between himself and Loki in the hopes of wearing him down. But the demigod persisted onward and Xendor sensed his ax beginning to accumulate power in its blade. At once, Xendor knew exactly what Loki intended to do: he intended to use all the magic power of his weapon to vaporize Xendor if he could. Smiling, Xendor decided it was time to unveil his own countermeasures which was to apply defensive power to his sword.

"There's no use prolonging this duel any longer, Xendor. Best that you and I end this while there is still honor to be had in the death of one of us," Loki warned. Xendor only needed those few seconds to apply most of his actual Force potential into creating a defensive power for his sword. Sensing that it would equal the offensive power in Loki's ax, he set up his stance as he prepared to take the blow.

Loki made an overhead stroke in the hopes of slicing Xendor in two with the ax but Xendor intercepted it and the power of both weapons collided to form a brilliant light. Even the setting sun of Columus was dim in comparison to the vaporizing glow produced by this collision of weapons. However, unbeknownst to those who were vaporized, the collision created a bubble that kept Xendor and Loki unscathed even though their weapons would both be reduced to ash by the end of it. No one could guess how long this powerful flash that surged through the cave lasted nor did they want to know.

**Arden continued to run** down the tunnels of Columus, guided by the Talisman and its knowledge of this gloomy place. Her fear for Xendor was still very real but it was not enough to blind her to the Talisman's warning that she form a cocooning barrier of energy around herself when it did. As fate would have it, the Talisman had warned her in time for a brilliant light to pass over her. Fueled by the Talisman's power, Arden kept up this cocoon until the vaporizing light passed which seemed forever.

But when it did, she knew that only one thing was possible: that Loki and Xendor had accumulated enough Force power in one of their weapons that this resulted from their collision. Unveiling the cocoon, she continued her run to find her beloved husband in the hopes that she was not already too late to save him. _If Xendor survived that blast, he'll be too weak to fight Loki any further but the demigod will have plenty of strength left to finish him, I fear. Why do you persist after seeing this blast occur?_ the voice of the Talisman demanded.

_Because I choose to, Kashi Mer. I don't expect the spirit of a god trapped inside a glass prism to understand_ Arden replied. It went silent after hearing her saying that Arden was glad that was the case as she continued to run to save Xendor from Loki's wrath. After all, her duty as his wife and lover forbid her from abandoning him even if he did terrible things to her while bearing the Talisman.

**Retreating while Loki dealt** with Xendor, Danzigorro had not expected the duel to last so long as for him to nearly lose visibility of the illuminated battle. Nonetheless, he sensed the blast that came from a collision of Force powers undoubtedly a result of the clash before it happened. Just when the bright light was about to vaporize him as it must have done the rest, he rapidly threw up a barrier. However, he realized that defending from all the effects of the blast was going to be impossible from the moment he created the defense though he knew he'd shield off the worst of it.

For what seemed like hours-though it was only a few minutes-Danzigorro applied power to his barrier though it was costing him all of his Force potential in rapidity. Soon, the barrier began to weaken and some of the light began to scorch his hands and lower arms. Then the barrier exploded in his face and sent him flying several meters until he collided with a sheer rock wall hard enough to break bone. Somewhat recovering his senses after that, Danzigorro looked down to see that his lower arms had both become charred and scorched beyond all possible used for anything.

So mangled and damaged were they, in fact, that they shook uncontrollably and remained locked in a relatively flat position except for curves in the fingers. Then he tried to get up despite no used of them and discovered that he could barely move his legs. That and it seemed as though at least four spinal discs had jettisoned out of place and six ribs were fractured, one of them impaling a lung. It'd only be a matter of minutes before his heart gave out with all this trauma and so he chose to lie down.

Despite the discs in his vertebrate being out of place, he managed as best he could and simply awaited the shutdown of his heart. Smiling, he could honestly say that he was glad that he went out this way rather than the slow bleeding of his abdominal wound from his brief duel with Xendor. _I hope to be joining you soon Master. Hopefully you, Blendri, and Cuthallox can forgive me for not joining you in your defection to the Legions in this life_ Danzigorro thought silently.

By the time reinforcements found him, the Jedi Warrior barely had enough life left in him but with his last breath, he told his remaining soldiers that nothing had survived the blast except him. It was a lie but one that would buy Loki time to finish Xendor off or for someone to rescue the Kashi Mer. Despite his servitude to the Order, Danzigorro hoped for the latter rather than the former and hoped that Xendor's rescuer would be his loyal wife, Arden Lyn. Then he exhaled for the last time and peacefully passed on as his soldiers carried his body back to the fortress for a proper Jedi funeral.

**When Xendor regained his** senses after the blast, he was appalled to see his sword reduced to no more than the hilt. Loki's ax was also reduced to no more than the hilt but there was still the hammer to consider and the gigantic man made to smash him in the chest with it. However, despite his attempts to dodge this blow, Xendor found himself too paralyzed by the blast to react in time. The impact was enough to send him flying into the side of the cave, brittle shale shattering in the wake of his collision.

Dazed but not entirely out of the picture, Xendor made out the faint glimmer of a Guardian gladius and crawled for it as best he could. Loki caught up with him soon enough though and grabbed him by the neck before bringing him to meet his eye-level. "I did originally want to beat you to death but I think I'll just my hands to pop your brains out like a zit instead," the giant stated proudly. Fortunately for Xendor, he was close enough to the gladius where he could use telekinesis to call it to his hand.

Just before Loki could grab his head and proceed with the means by which he intended to kill the Kashi Mer prince, Xendor hacked at his left eye. Though it did nothing to blind his sight in that area, it did enough to cut from his forehead and force Loki to throw Xendor aside before reeling in pain. "You will pay for that, you little bastard!" Loki exclaimed when he recovered from the burning of the blood. By this time, Xendor had hit another wall and the gladius sword went skittering out of his hand and disappeared into the dark gloom.

_Damn, why do swords have a way being lost in my possession when I need one most?_ Xendor asked himself silently. Rising up to limp his way away from the battle, he spied a glimmer of hope in the form of a Jedi Warrior katana which lied with its point in the ground and its hilt up. If he could reach that blade, of all the ones he could find, he might stand a chance of beating Loki yet. Unfortunately, the bigger man was not about to allow him that chance as he demonstrated by leaping across the meters between them and bringing him down with a hammer blow to the back of the head.

"Mother! Father! Are you watching me? Do you see me destroying the last of the Kashi Mer line, have I not proven my worth to become a god again!?" Loki shouted to the heavens above.

Coughing before crawling, Xendor continued his way to the sword though Loki soon noticed thanks to the grinding of the sand beneath Xendor's body. "Not so fast, proud prince of the Kashi Mer Dynasty!" Loki exclaimed. Then he hit Xendor in the dead-center of his back with one end of his hammer, bringing Xendor down on his face and belly with its impact. "Watch Gods of the Force, watch as I prove my worth to become one of you again!" Loki continued loudly and pridefully.

Xendor continued for the sword, the weapon becoming a symbol of his only hope at defeating this insane fallen-god who clearly desired to return to his seat among his kin. Loki saw him continue his efforts and beat him down with the hammer in the same fashion as before. When Xendor immediately began to rise soon after, Loki pounded him with the hammer five more times in rapid succession. "There's no way you can take much more of this mortal, soon your own body will collapse on you and you will die," Loki warned.

Then he raised his hammer for a blow that was deflected by Xendor's right arm, which shattered like a twig on impact despite shielding his head and chest from another blow. Using his left hand after repositioning himself, Xendor dragged himself in a desperate attempt to reach the sword. Loki finally turned in the direction that he was crawling and started laughing as he finally grasped what Xendor was trying to do. "You think you need your weapon to destroy me, don't you?" he asked whilst continuing to laugh before kicking Xendor in the ribs and sending him rolling almost a meter from him.

Desperate to defend himself, Xendor reached out with the Force in the hopes that the weapon could be sent to him through the Force. Fortunately, the sword was not buried so deep that it couldn't respond to his telekinetic call but it was too far deep to reach him before Loki stomped on the blade. "Weapon or no weapon, Talisman or no Talisman, you will never be the one to destroy me!" Loki vowed. "Then why do you prevent me from having a sword, dishonorable coward?" Xendor asked as best he could despite the damage to his stomach and chest.

"Because I'm sparing you the pain of realizing that with your good arm broken, you won't be able to use any weapon against me without even greater difficulty than you already have standing up. Consider it a first and final kindness from the son of the Gods of Light and Darkness before he strikes you down," Loki answered. "Arkanus and Stygia... we call them Ashla and Bogan respectively, don't we?" Xendor inquired. "You mortals do but I know their true names since they are my parents," Loki admitted.

Then he marched over to Xendor in such a manner that even if Xendor tried to reach the sword, Loki would beat him to a pulp before he could even use it. At this point, Xendor gave up all hope of being armed and capable of defeating the Loki the Destroyer, a true god among men now. "Watch Mother, watch Father as I bash this mortal's brains in and end the line of Kashi Mer!" Loki shouted. _Arkanus, forgive him his affront and forgive my sins for I have opposed the will of the servants of the Light_ Xendor said to himself quietly as he prepared to embrace his fate.

At this point he did a scan of his body through the Force and knew that even if Loki had decided to spare him in a brief glimmer of mercy, he wouldn't reach a Healer before he died. Smiling, he figured that perhaps it was for the better that Loki took him out as quickly as he intended to do. There would be no pain when Loki's hammer hit his head hard enough for the rock beneath him to impale him and end his life within seconds. Besides, Loki was already delivering on his promise that he wouldn't return Xendor's formality of sparing his life as the former Jedi had done as an Initiate as it was.

**Arden found the light** in the cave just in time to see Loki raise his hammer in preparation to bash Xendor's head in. "No!" she shouted just as she unsheathed her sword and shot a crescent blade of energy at Loki. Then, just before it reached his waist level, she cast another one that went vertical instead of horizontal with both crescents intended to slice Loki. After that, she slowly began sheathing her sword once more until she reached just few milimeters short of sheathing the entire blade.

Holding it in place for several seconds, she watched as the only reaction from Loki was dropping the hammer behind him. Then she jammed the last of her blade into the scabbard hard enough to hear the click of the sword connecting to its scabbard and watched as Loki split into four pieces. The two upper ones spun in opposite directions while the left lower one simply slid down the right. Through this spell, Arden had effectively cut Loki both in half and in two to save her husband from his wrath.

When the blood had finished exploding all over most of the cave, Arden ran to her husband's side and even called to him when she rolled him on his back. "Arden, is that you?" Xendor asked. "Yes, I'm here and I'll remain at your side at least until we get you to a Healer," Arden answered. "It's no use Arden, my body is broken beyond the skill of any Healer to repair.

"Besides, the Healers are just mortal people who use the power of the Force to heal mortal injuries. These are the injuries of a fallen god, who once transcended the mortal realm," he said. "Don't talk like that, of course the Healers can help you and of course they can revitalize you! Some fresh light should make you see the truth of that, you'll see!" she exclaimed.

"No, this is a fitting end for me: all of us were born from the darkness of our mother's wombs as infants. It's only fitting that upon our deaths, we return to a similar darkness only more eternal," he said, smiling. "Don't say such things Xendor, let me help you. Let the Talisman help you!" she begged.

"The Talisman can no longer help a host who has rejected its power, it can only help the current bearer. As you are the current bearer, it would allow you to heal from such injuries if you have it," he replied. "Then allow me to use it to heal you, surely it can obey my commands," she insisted. "No Arden, it wouldn't obey this command: the gods would destroy it and the host if they tried," he replied.

Arden realized now that there was no helping him this time around, much as she might like to. "Then let me stay beside you until you're gone and carry your body back to Lettow once you're gone," she suggested. "I'd like that," he said, keeping his smile and whispering due to his collapsed lung. She held onto his hand and watched as he shivered the cold tingles of death's hand as it slowly grabbed him.

"You know something, Arden? I wish Master Pina joined us during the initial formation of the Legions. Perhaps with his skills, we might have won this war when we attacked Ossus and Coruscant. Don't you think so?" he asked rhetorically.

"Perhaps we could have, but Master Pina is a man who will abide by his principles even if he doesn't agree with the actions of his superior. We could not expect any more of him than that," she answered though she knew she didn't need to. "I suppose you're right and perhaps that's why we like him, so much," he said, his grin never leaving. She smiled too though tears flowed like a river from her eyes as she knew that he didn't have much more time now.

"I love you, Arden," he said after several moments. "Stay with me, Xendor. Everything-" Arden started. "I love... I... I love," Xendor interrupted, pausing before he could finish.

Then he exhaled for the final time and slowly lied his back down before slowly closing his eyes. After that, Arden no longer felt life within Xendor and instinctively knew he was dead. Knowing what he had meant to say before he died made Arden's grief stronger as she sobbed quietly on his chest. She remained there for several minutes before then deciding it was time to take his body and leave Columus.

**Arriving to the scene** of what seemed more like a mass-brawl than a battle in a war, Tiberius looked at the scum gathered around with sincere pity. After all, the element of surprise was still on his side and if it remained that way then they would be wiped out to the last man before making a dent. _Somewhere within that mob, however, is my prize: Theseus the last of the Kashi Mer Dynasty and failed leader of the Guardians of Breath_ he told himself silently. "Soldiers of Bunduki, you know your duty: fight well and wipe them out!" he said aloud before issuing the order to charge.

He watched as the troops led the assault and smiled at the sight of their spears flying ahead of them to kill pirate marauders, bandits, robbers, and other thugs before the soldiers were touched. Then he watched as the soldiers who threw their spears unsheathed their swords and went on the attack. The Jedi watched as it took three scummy lives to wound one soldier and three more to kill the same one. Entering the fray himself, he immediately spied Theseus helping the criminals of the Republic turn the tide a little more in their favor.

"Theseus, I call you out to fight me! Come fight Tiberius, leader of the Jedi Order as well as temporary commander of this army or else face great dishonor for all your days!" he shouted. "I have been looking for you Tiberius and I want nothing short of an honorable duel to the death," Theseus said. "Not to worry, I can grant that wish!" Tiberius said as he hacked down enemy warriors as he made his way to the last real Kashi Mer warrior.

**As Arden struggled to carry** Xendor out of the cave, she turned to the sound of clashing weapons and screaming men who were undoubtedly being killed. Though barely, she made out the stamp of the Bunduki government as one of the factions on the plains of Columus. She knew just from that even if they didn't accept any bribe themselves, the Followers of Palawa had sold her out. Sneering at the sight of the battle, she briefly saw Theseus make his way to challenge Tiberius to single combat.

_Theseus, Tiberius will kill you and the Kashi Mer Dynasty will die with you!_ she mentally exclaimed. However, she knew that he would probably not hear her thought in time to stop himself from attacking Theseus nor did she think she'd want him to hear in the first place. Carrying Xendor as she continued to view the battle, she decided it was best to take Theseus' shuttle since he wouldn't need it. Not anymore, at least, and that was fine with her and her dead husband who seemed so peaceful and content in his state of non-existence.

_But are you really satisfied, Xendor? Do you really feel as though you lived your life to the fullest you could?_ she asked silently. No response and she watched as Columus gave way to empty space and Lettow ahead, the last place left for her to go in this damned galaxy. Nonetheless, one thing was for sure: the Followers of Palawa would pay for betraying her if it killed her to take revenge.


	58. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

Across the stars, Master Pina felt the death of Xendor from on Ossus and his heart was heavy with the grief he undoubtedly shared with his daugher, Arden. When Pina had ordered Xendor's life be spared all those years ago, he had hoped for peace between the Jedi Order and the Dynasty. He had hoped that by sparing a child of the last great King, he could somehow pay the blood that stained him. Now thanks to Tiberius and the vengeful fallen god called Loki the Destroyer, those chances were busted into dust like all Pina had hoped for either Xendor or his own beloved daughter.

_What have I done? Is this monstrous war all my fault because of that act of compassion?_ Pina asked himself grimly. How could he not blame himself at least partly for the conflict forming when he had encouraged Xendor and Arden to be true to who they were and not who the Order was? Was it his fault as much as anybody else's that this war and the Devouring started in the first place?

"Excuse me, Master Pina: Master Tiberius has united with the Bunduki troops and is presently engaging the criminals already fighting each other there. According to reports coming in, a shuttle from the enemy ranks has escaped in the direction of Lettow. Tiberius has already allowed it to leave but he suspects that it is Arden carrying Xendor to the planet for a funeral. Shall we give chase to the shuttle ourselves, sir?" a scout asked.

"And disrupt funerary customs befitting both the Jedi Order and the Legions of Lettow? No, we'll give them time to cremate Xendor and besides, our arrival there is inevitable anyhow," Pina said. "Yes sir," the scout replied, bowing as he left Pina to return to his meditation. _Patricia, I'm so sorry; I've failed our daughter and I've failed you_ Pina said to himself.

_All is not yet lost, my love. There is still a way to save Arden even if it will cost you your life to do so_ he heard her say. _I know I can place her in the morichro trance and save her that way but is it the right thing to do?_ he asked the telepathic voice of his wife. _Trust me when I tell you that the future she will awaken to will be better than any we can provide her ourselves._

_Besides, what does your heart tell you is right, love?_ she replied. He thought carefully about that, his old heart already stabbed with grief by having to turn on his daughter and sensing Xendor die. In the end, he would come to only one conclusion but he decided that he would pray for forgiveness to Arkanus first. "Forgive me milord but in order to save my only child, I must commit perhaps the greatest sin against your honor: to use the power of morichro to place her into hibernation.

"If I kill her, I shall be a traitor to my duty as a father and if not then I shall be a traitor to the Jedi Order and all the reasons I defend it. Lord forgive what I must do to satisfy both my paternal duties and my duties as a Jedi Guardian and protect my soul from the darkness of Stygia upon my death. This is all I ask of you, milord, amen," Pina said, kneeling before the statue of Arkanus during the whole time. The statue of the angelic warrior with a sword whose blade burned with fire in one hand and a scroll in the other as well as horns on the top of the head only stared back at him silently.

Pina gave a final formal bow after rising to his feet and walked away to make preparations for the trip to Lettow to defeat Arden Lyn and her Legions. _As long as you do what is right, great Master Pina, I shall always forgive you any sins you may feel bound to commit. Besides, the Chronicler has decreed that the story of Arden Lyn's life shall not end by your hand_ a voice said. Smiling, Pina recognized it as the voice of Arkanus who was also known as Ashla and thanked him for his counsel.

**"Well, well Theseus: it** appears that we were destined to meet again on the field of battle. Tell me, how are your wounds from the fight on Mygeeto healing?" Tiberius mocked. "No better than they were when you inflicted them upon me but I should ask how your jaw is healing," Theseus replied. Tiberius recalled in that instant how Theseus had hit him hard enough in the jaw to knock out five teeth and swell the affected gums beyond use.

"Just fine, thank you. And now it's time for you to die, son of Kashi Mer and the Dynasty with you!" Tiberius exclaimed. Theseus immediately attacked by jabbing one end of his double-sided sword at the Jedi Master who expertly dodged it and even swatted it aside before going for the legs. After all, Theseus had superior height and reach with his weapon in his hands which needed to be neutralized.

However, Theseus was quick in coming around with the other blade and forcing Tiberius to duck under and find another way to go about reaching for his legs. This was especially true when Theseus jabbed with another side yet again and then started twirling his weapon in every direction. Tiberius expertly parried most of the strikes though he had to dodge some that we were beyond his ability to parry however, these were in the minority. Soon, the tide began to change when some of the scum attempted to intervene and help Theseus take Tiberius down.

Smiling, Tiberius killed three with relative ease and with one stroke to each of them before Theseus knocked the fourth aside and pinned Tiberius' sword with one end of his weapon. "I should have known you'd risk your life to save people who wouldn't care about you. Just as your King was killed trying to save you," Tiberius mocked. "My King was only doing his duty to ensure the survival of the Dynasty through the Guardians in case his children were killed by you," Theseus calmly replied.

"Then I don't suppose you know about the existence of Xendor, do you not?" Tiberius asked. "The existence of the Prince you hired Loki the Destroyer to end? Yes, I know about that just as I know Arden Lyn has escaped with his body from this planet," Theseus answered. Tiberius paled, amazed that she could have slipped in and saved him from under Danzigorro's nose.

But then, yet again, there were Legions sympathizers within the Order who chose not to leave for Lettow and perhaps, even with his content in accepting the Jedi way, Danzigorro had been one. Actually, it did explain why Arden was able to escape and why a taskforce had reported Danzigorro saying that he was the only survivor of a massive explosion in the caves. _So with his last breath, he saved the life of the Queen of the Legions of Lettow despite his Jedi loyalties. Can't say I'm anything short of impressed by his courage in his last moments_ Tiberius thought, smiling.

"Your new queen may have escaped with her husband but the battle of Columus is lost to you now. If you are willing to surrender, I will grant amnesty to all your forces here and perhaps vie for your life being spared from execution by the Bunduki government," Tiberius goaded. "Die here, die there, it makes no difference to me now that I am all that's left of the Kashi Mer Dynasty. No actually, better to die here in honorable single combat than allow myself be taken hostage and executed," Theseus said.

The exchange of blows between the two continued until at last, Tiberius finally gained the advantage when he sliced on blade off the staff that held both sides and watched it spin away. From there on, he used his weapon pretty much as he would use a spear despite Tiberius still parrying it. Smiling, the Jedi Warrior even decided to cut down the shaft in order to further reduce the advantage of the weapon's reach. When Theseus only had enough from for his hands to use the weapon like a traditional sword, Tiberius parried a blow in such a manner that he then kneecapped the giant warrior.

After Theseus knelt down as a result of the blow, Tiberius then used the Force to send him cartwheeling onto his back. Following this, Tiberius covered the distance between himself and his target with a Force-enhanced leap that allowed him to land on Theseus' chest and aim his sword to stab. However, Theseus still had some strength in him and he caught Tiberius by the arms even with the Jedi enhancing his physical strength via Force Valor and Battlemind. By the time Tiberius was unable to push any further, the tip of his blade was only milimeters short of touching Theseus' jugular.

"I can keep this up far longer than you can, Tiberius. Better that you just let me stop you and then kill you now," Theseus warned. Tiberius laughed at the comment, finding it ridiculous to think of himself as the type to surrender in the duel but he managed to think of an excellent idea. Stopping Battlemind and Force Valor simultaneously, he let Theseus push him a little ways back.

In this very manner, Theseus was able to wave his arms away which left him vulnerable to an immediate counterattack from Tiberius. Grinning wickedly, Tiberius exploited this after insuring his balance atop the more massive Kashi Mer human and plunged his blade into Theseus' throat. Leaving it there for a few seconds, Tiberius allowed Theseus to choke on it as well as his own blood from the cut. Then he yanked his blade out rather savagely and looked at the result of his blow, unbelieving that Theseus was dead.

When he finally came to terms with it, he raised his bloodstained sword in victory and laughed maniacally, bragging about how he had finally destroyed the Kashi Mer Dynasty. "Victory is mine, the Dynasty is no more! Now, not even Master Pina can question my efficiency in dealing with a threat!" he exclaimed aloud. He continued laughing and shouting to the sky which were almost ready to start releasing rain though this wouldn't last long.

Five arrows shot away from pirate archers, three of them finding their way into Tiberius' stomach and side while two of them found their way into his chest. Shuddering and growling in pain, Theseus cut the tips protruding from his back and quickly yanked the arrows out of him. Clenching his belly Tiberius began hacking his way through the remaining ranks of pirates to ensure that he lived. Then another pirate came out of nowhere with a mace and mocked him about his mortality and hit his face.

The blow was enough to knock Tiberius' helmet off his head as well as leave nasty wounds in the right side of his forehead and face near the eye. Giving into his anger at the blow and his fear of dying, Tiberius violently replied and even saw to it that his sword reduced all his enemies to ash. "I will not be killed by a bunch of scummy pirates here on Columus!" he shouted, thinking aloud. Panic was setting and he hacked and slashed his way through the ranks until he almost reach the safety of his men.

Then the worst thing possible began to happen: his vision began to become hazy and he almost tripped over a few protruding rocks. Feeling the wound on his face, the touch burned his head as well as fingers which gave him the idea that the mace had been laced with poison. "Impossible!" he quietly exclaimed. Then a sharp pain to his head caused him to cry out and several Bunduki soldiers came to carry him away from the field, others defending him as he was pulled back to his tent.

By the time he was there, most of the remaining scum had been wiped out and the rest were in full retreat though they would soon be hunted down and also destroyed if they didn't surrender first. Only a few hundred surrendered for the execution the government was likely to issue them and Tiberius, through all the pain, was pleased to hear that not even half a thousand men had been killed in battle. _Looks like it paid off to use the element of surprise and hurl the spears at the enemy first before then hacking away at them_ he thought before another sharp pain nulled his ability to think. "Get me to a Healer on Ossus, hurry!" he ordered aloud.

"What about the fate of the criminals, didn't you want to see that?" his captain asked. "I can't see if I'm dead, now can I? Get me on the first ship to Ossus and get me there fast so I can get a Healer!" Tiberius answered. The arrangements were made and Tiberius was sent on a medical frigate with hyperspace engines back to the home of the Jedi Order.

Columus was a victory after that and the Bunduki government ordered for the criminals to be executed all at once. The planet itself became a memorial for those who fell in the battle, including Xendor, and would not be visited again for another twenty-thousand years except by tourists. Bunduki's involvement in the conflict as well as the use of criminal rabble would be erased from history, stating it as a battle purely between the Jedi Order and the Legions of Lettow. In the meantime though, Tiberius gave the orders for the final stages of the war to be initiate from the Order's end.

**"He was a good man** who stood up for what was right. I didn't know him nearly as well as you did Arden but I do know there was a good reason that he was spared by Master Pina," Athena said. As the flames of cremation consumed Xendor and his bladeless sword, Arden continued to occasionally let tears flow from her eyes though she knew he would never have permitted even this. Now that he was dead, she was going to have to take charge and she couldn't allow her grief to guide her judgment.

"Athena, when I escaped with Xendor I saw troops from Bunduki being led into battle by Tiberius. The Followers of Palawa have betrayed us and likely revealed our tactical positions to the Jedi Order before declaring neutrality in this conflict. It'll only be a matter of time before Tiberius orders Master Pina to chase us here along those points, this may be the last stand we take," Arden said. "But do not spread that to the Legions, just yet: save that new for when Pina begins mobilizing," Athena said.

"Why in the universe would I want to do that?" Arden asked. "Because if you wait before reports come in of Pina and his army leaving, that should give you just the amount of time to prepare. By the time he arrives, your formations will be freshly established and especially vigilant," Athena answered. "You seem to know him better than any of us here, why don't I just hand leadership of the Legions to you?" Arden demanded rhetorically.

"Because even with my knowledge of Master Awdrysta Pina, I am careful never to let it boost my confidence to the point of hubris. After all, that old rapscallion never uses the same trick for any one enemy twice if he doesn't have to," Athena replied. "Sounds like a very versatile strategist and one that will be difficult to fight against if not downright impossible," Arden stated. "Don't despair, I see enough of your father in you to say that if anyone can beat Pina, you can.

"I also see enough of your mother in you to say that Pina will have pity in his heart should he successfully cut you down," Athena said reassuringly. "Athena, I will not let that happen but I thank you for your compliments anyway. Get some rest, I need your strength in the morning for it will be a long time getting our forces ready to gather into formation much less actually doing it," Arden said. Athena nodded, said goodbye, and left Arden to watch as the fires finished consuming Xendor.

_Now only the Ashes of Despair remain, Arden Lyn. The Mark of the Dark Days has fallen upon you_ the Talisman announced. _Excuse me?_ Arden asked it. _Once long ago, there was Kashi Mer Queen who lost her husband in battle much as you have lost yours now._

_She declared her husband's ashes to be the Ashes of Despair, created from the source of the Queen's sorrow. The Ashes, she declared, would be a Mark of the Dark Days that were to fall upon the Dynasty for the rest of her days even if she remarried which she did. As the curse only exists in those married to a Kashi Mer royal, it exists in you now as well_ the Talisman explained. _And what are the Dark Days?_ Arden inquired.

_The Dark Days are what they sound like: days where the person afflicted with the curse shall never know peace for sins wrought upon them by no fault of their own. There is only one way to break the curse: to know peace and love in your heart, mind, body, and soul. However, I sense that the curse will not be broken for you in this life but in a far distant life_ it confessed. _So unless I learn to move on past Xendor, I am marked by the Ashes of Despair forever_ she said.

_Afraid so and even I can't change that_ the Talisman admitted. _All the powers of a god as powerful as the Ones and you can't remove an itty-bitty curse_ Arden mocked._ I could do it but Gods are forbidden from doing such a thing as that, even the Chronicler is denied permission. The recipient of the curse has to be able to either remedy the curse for themselves or be destroyed_ it replied.

Arden shook her head and decided it was best to disperse Xendor's ashes across the plains of Lettow. If it couldn't remove the curse, she wanted to at least have a tangible base on which to start breaking it for herself. _You have done well for yourself already, there may be hope yet for you breaking the curse_ the Talisman admitted. Smiling, she decided that she would meditate to rest and recover her strength for the battle that was sure to come.

**"Sir, Master Tiberius has** given the orders for you to begin mobilizing your troops for Lettow. Shall I prepare a fleet for our departure?" a soldier asked Master Pina. Pina thought about that carefully, not sure if he wanted to risk bumping into a naval fleet from Lettow. Besides that he had a feeling that stealth would be the best deal for the troops of the Jedi Order, this time around. "No, put the troops in civilian transports with hyperspace engines and have them conceal their weapons.

"We're going to get as far behind any naval defenses the enemy has and strike from the land first. If Xendor is wise, he'll have built a fleet at least sufficiently enough to counter any Jedi attacks to Lettow from space," Pina ordered. "Sir, is that wise? Tiberius has given explicit orders for you to take naval ships to the planet and wipe them all out," the soldier warned.

"I am quite sure that I wish to disobey Tiberius' orders in favor of a better idea that will have greater effect in scattering and exterminating the Legions than his plan. Besides, under his rules, the naval fleet could stall us enough for the Legions on the surface to evacuate and prolong this war. On top of that, his poisoned and weakened condition makes me acting commander of the Order. I make the rules for as long as Tiberius' health continues to disable him from taking proper command," Pina replied.

He also added that with Athena on the side of the Legions, she would know all the typical tricks of the Order and some of Pina's best strategies enough to guide Arden. With Arden's already remarkable intelligence, the Legions would stand a chance of overthrowing any direct attack. "As you wish, milord," the soldier said with a bow. _Yes it is as I wish now that I'm acting commander of the Jedi forces and Tiberius is not, isn't it?_ Pina silently mocked.

Within the hour, unused civilian hyperspace transports were being filled with Jedi soldiers ready to embark on the journey to what many hoped was the final battle in this great war with the Legions. Pina himself boarded a one-man starship with no weapons and prepared to escort the disguise ships to Lettow. "Where were the days when the Jedi Order was tolerant of all beliefs? The days where the Dai Bendu, Baran Do, and even the Way of the Dark felt free to mingle with the Jedi?

"Gone are those days, traded for the corruption and greed brought on by the promise of wealth in the regions yet to be colonized by citizens of the Republic. Washed over us like a river over the rocks, disappearing behind the hills created by our long-gone forebears. And now I, Master Awdrysta Pina the last of those wise Masters, am ordered to stain my hands with the blood of my only child. How did it come to this?" Pina thought aloud when he had the privacy of his silent ship.

"Master Pina, we're ready to begin the jumps into hyperspace whenever you are," a soldier chimed in on the comlink. "Begin the jumps when I do, I want to be the one who gets us safely passed the lines without any trouble. If there is no fleet at all, I still would like to be front to guide you to a good location for landing," Pina replied. "Copy that," the soldier replied.

Then, despite keeping most of his focus on getting to the front of the army and initiating lightspeed, he still let his grief get to him at least slightly. _This was the last thing I wanted for you, my dearest daughter_Pina thought to himself grimly. Then he was off to destroy her and her way of living.


	59. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

"Pina did what!?" Tiberius demanded before coughing more blood. "He ordered that the Jedi Army disguise itself as fleeing civilians to get past any sentries that might be posted above Lettow. Additionally, he said he would comm you in on his success the moment he confirmed landing and would begin preparing military formations thereafter," a soldier told him. "For someone willing to obey the order to kill his own daughter, Pina has gall to be defying me now," Tiberius hissed.

"You mustn't speak sir, you must save your strength and fight off the poisonous pathogen," a nurse soothingly begged him. "Silence you haggard fool, I'll be dead before much longer than a month anyway!" he snapped. "Uh, there's another piece of matter sir: the Chancellor has chosen to come to Ossus from Coruscant. He says he has certain files that only you and Pina have access to which a couple notes said were supposed to damn you to being charged as criminal to the highest degree.

"Shall I let him in?" the soldier asked. "Don't keep the Chancellor waiting, let him in! Whatever it is, it had better be good if he's saying that it's supposed to condemn me," Tiberius ordered. "I think you know exactly what I am talking about if anything in these files is true," the Chancellor snapped.

"Give them to me," Tiberius requested. "I'll just read a few of the charges Pina has so blatantly accused of and has laid plenty of evidence for. Thievery of Republic credits which were then used to buy out the Bunduki government and turn them away from the Legions of Lettow. Merciless conditions for prisoners of war from the expedition to destroy the Kashi Mer Dynasty, shall I continue?

"Here's my favorite one is just right here: taking no offer of negotiation in any event where your enemy has vowed to surrender and instead, blasted them to hell. Is this all true?" the Chancellor asked. _That bastard Pina took the files from right under my nose, I told him to destroy those damned things the moment they were stamped and signed!_ Tiberius mentally exclaimed. "And if I say yes to all these incriminating pieces of evidence?" he asked aloud.

He knew it was probably a stupid question but with his death on the horizon, there wasn't really much that he could do. "Then I will be forced to act upon one of the few military powers that I maintain possession of in the immediate aftermath of a resolved conflict. I shall have to convict you without a trial and normally, the death sentence would be an option but I see that wouldn't make a difference for you. Instead, when I find you guilty of these treasonous crimes and your abuse of power, I shall order full censure of anything with so much as your name or the name of your supporters.

"Your birth records will be destroyed upon confirmation of your death alongside your allies, your actions both for both good and bad in the Order will be erased from all records. More importantly though, by the time I'm through, you and your supporters will be nameless 'leaders' of the Order. Nameless leaders who simply didn't approve of Xendor and Arden Lyn's curiosity for the mechanisms of Bogan. Since Pina was reluctant to join you in many of your actions, I shall only maintain memory of the identity he had in his youth as well as what he did to end the Schism.

"No worries, Arden and Xendor will still appear to be the bad guys for their actions even if their motives were good. Nothing I could do to support them would encourage that there was any good intent within their actions at all. However, you will be denied the immortality of history alongside all who obeyed you and supported your bid for leadership of the Council. Die knowing that in a few centuries, it'll be damnably amazing if anyone still knows so much as your name," the Chancellor replied.

"You wouldn't dare after all I've done for you and all the Order has done for you!" Tiberius exclaimed. "Would you like to back up that bet with some of the ill-earned money you have? I'm sure my citizens could use that money to get by until they found work again now 'The Devouring' has ended. Oh wait, you can't even if you would like to: Pina sent me a deposit with the full amount of those stolen credits back into the First Republic Bank for the people to use to survive," the Chancellor snapped.

"But surely you realize that I have done much good for not just the Order but also the Republic itself!" Tiberius begged. "It was that good that allowed me temporary ability to overlook the bad and even defend you when Cuthallox came to negotiate with me on Coruscant. However, even if I had not overlooked the sins you have done I would never have realized the full extent of your evil without these. It's over Tiberius, your quest for immortality is at an end and it has ended as failure because of your actions," the Chancellor told him.

"No, do not do this! You know not what you do to the records if you censure me and those who supported my agenda!" Tiberius begged. "Really? I don't see evil in it so long as a wise and gentle man like Awdrysta Pina sees merit in it and even gave me the stamp of approval," the Chancellor said.

Then he marched off to first burn the files in the torch nearby then demand to have possession of all Tiberius' records by approval of Master Pina. _So, this is how you destroy me even though you may fulfill your end of our bargain? This is how you choose to rebel without lifting your spear against me? Well played, Master Jedi, well played_ Tiberius thought to himself, half-smiling.

"What's so enjoyable, Master? He has just sentenced you to full censure, your name will never be remembered in the history!" the nurse begged. "That right there is the funny thing little lady: Pina has reduced me to no better than a normal citizen of the Republic despite my actions. He vowed to serve me as a subordinate member of the Council but found a way to destroy me even so.

"For the first time in the history of the Order, the love of a father for his child has triumphed over the fear and hate of the greedy little monkey playing the role of commander. In granting me the normalcy of a Republic citizen, Pina has inflicted greater damage to me than if he had risen up to kill me. He has shown me the error of most of my deeds and enlightened me to what a Jedi should always be. By his actions today, Pina has protected the Jedi Code more than my warmongering ever did," Tiberius said.

"By giving into his vengeance, Pina has protected the Code better than you?" the soldier asked. "No, not revenge: the day vengeance ever existed in Pina's heart is the day the gods decided to come down and rip my heart out themselves, in other words impossible. He did this because the Jedi Code has decreed that any and all men remotely like me be brought to justice for their crimes. And that, my friend, is what he has done in his love for his daughter and in his need to protect her from me.

"Perhaps, there is some merit in forming attachments even if there is a good reason the law forbidding it is still intact. Maybe Pina knew more about the strength of such things than those who decreed the law be made in the first place. Who knows? What I do know is that my life is over and my evil work has all been for nothing, take me to my balcony at once," Tiberius answered.

"Whatever would you want to go there for?" the nurse demanded. "No questions, just take me there!" Tiberius sneered. "If you're meaning to commit suicide, I will not allow it!" the nurse snapped. "The poison will kill me in a month and the Chancellor will complete his sentence before no more than half that time has passed, whether I die now or not makes no difference anymore," Tiberius countered.

Then he reiterated his command to be taken to the balcony and this time, crutches were given to him for compliance to be possible. "I'll only need one to get to where I'm going but thanks for offering an extra anyway," he said when offered the second. The nurse was dismissed as were her aides and the soldier who stayed at his door whilst he walked to his nearby balcony. Along the way, he passed by the statues of Ashla and Bogan who were known as Arkanus and Stygia to normal people.

"Looks like you came in disguise as Ashla to persuade me to do your will, Bogan. Sorry to disappoint you, Ashla, by straying away from your true plan," he said, thinking aloud. Limping the last bit of the way on his crutch and occasionally coughing blood, Tiberius arrived to the balcony. Pushing himself the last bit of the way, he arrived to the sight of the waves of the Ossus crashing against rock.

So peaceful and serene did the sight of the waves hitting against the sheer rock wall appear to Master Tiberius which made him realize he never really took the time to appreciate its beauty. Shaking his head, he realized this was another foolishness from his idiotic lust for wealth and power in the Order. The original Je'daii had preached about an appreciation for all natural and man-made creations as well as an acceptance and respect of the power that lied within any one of those creations. Chuckling, he mocked himself for how it had taken him his entire life to understand why that rule was there.

Throwing his crutch, he counted the seconds before the sea swallowed the wooden creation of Man and was able to judge the height of the fall as being at least half a he unsheathed his sword and cast the scabbard into the waters as well, using the time it bought him to prepare himself. "Master Tiberius, stop!" he heard a voice say. It was the young soldier who had originally been at his door when the Chancellor and the one who now made to stop him from going through with his plan.

"Leave me and go for even in my weakened condition, I can sever your head with a clean stroke of this sword. More than you realize, I have dishonored the Jedi Code and the only way to permanently remove the stain beyond the Chancellor's efforts of censure is to take my life. You will understand why I do this, one day; I promise you that much," Tiberius ordered. "Sir, you don't know what you're saying because the poison has clouded your judgment!" the soldier begged.

Tiberius kept his sword pointed at the boy and continued to walk a few steps back until he felt the very edge of the balcony right behind him. "Sir, please come with me. We'll find a way to make Pina pay for what he's done and remedy this situation, you'll see," the soldier demanded. "Foolish boy, Master Pina has already remedied my actions more than I could remedy his," Tiberius replied.

The soldier, who rose his hands in a futile defense against Tiberius' sword suddenly realized that there would be no persuading Tiberius to go back on what he meant to do. "If you are so set on what you plan to do, fall before my very eyes now," the soldier ordered. Smiling, Tiberius raised both arms in a Y-shape to reach the heavens and thanked Ashla for giving the poor man some insight. Then he made the last step and plunged from the top of the balcony down into the waves of the ocean awaiting him.

Seconds passed as Tiberius gained speed in his fall, something he was relieved more than frightened to see happening to him. Finally, after more than about three minutes by which time the soldier had witnessed of his fall to see what happened, Tiberius broke his skull on one of the rocks. Had he been capable of surviving the injury, he would have been paralyzed from the chin down for life. However, his sight began to blacken and he knew it wouldn't be long before the ice-cold waters of Ossus' ocean seemed hot in comparison to the fingers of death which rapidly coiled around his body.

By the time he was floating out at sea, the angel of death had already taken his soul to the netherworld of Chaos and all that was left was for his body to serve as carrion for scavenging fish. It was a matter of seconds before all that was recovered by sailors were bloodied plates of armor. His sword floated to the black depths of the ocean where it would remain for all time, where it belonged. And by the time the Chancellor had completed his censure, not even Tiberius' birth records (as he had promised) survived the purge nor did any details about his life and thus ended the Jedi Master Tiberius.

**Arriving on Lettow, Pina's** heart was burdened by the fact that not only would he be fighting his own daughter but he would also be staining the beautiful Lettow plains with blood. The Je'daii appreciation for nature had sat well with Pina for all his life as a Jedi Knight and made his gut curl. "Master Pina, I can give the signal for formations to immediately begin being made if you wish," said the soldier who had chimed in on his comm at the beginning of the trip. "Go ahead and do it, also order the pilots to take their ships offworld and return to their duties in case this is a one-way trip," Pina ordered.

_This planet is the home of many thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people. It will be a true burden to bring so much bloodshed and death for them to witness_ Pina thought silently. Fortunately, the pilots obeyed him and the nearest village from the Legionnaire homes was not for at least another ten miles which made any witnesses just unfortunate guests to this last battle. And as the ranks of the Jedi Grand Army slowly took form and substance, he turned to speak with them.

"Warriors, Sentinels, Guardians, and Archers of the Jedi Order! You have all been selected to act as soldiers in the Republic army for the purpose of destroying the Legions of Lettow! When you charge into the ranks of the enemy, I want you to remember only one thing as you fight them! There are no second chances, whatever the storybooks say: make a mistake and you die or get your friends killed.

"The moment you strike down a Legionnaire, there is no hope of ever bringing that Legionnaire back. You live in the here and now of our time thus, you must not let your regret for having taken lives that meant nothing to you until after the battle. But it's all right to feel that guilt so long as it is not on the battlefield and as most of you were only children in the war before this, I felt it necessary to say this! Am I understood?" Pina shouted.

A wave of replies came but all in the ranks of the Jedi Army stated that they did understand what he meant. "I hope you do for I wish to see as many of you alive after this battle as possible. If you're alive when it's over, you will understand why," Pina warned. Then he ordered for the march on the Legionnaire Academy to begin at once, fearing the loss of some of the element of surprise.

**"Lady Arden, I have** urgent news from across the Lettow plains!" a Legionnaire scout shouted. "Catch your breath then tell me what it is you have for me," Arden replied. "Sorry to have burst in but that surge of civilian transports that came not too long ago wasn't dropping off civilians. They were carrying the Army of the Jedi Order in its entirety, including Master Pina in a one-man starship!

"If we begin amassing formations, we may be able to give them a house greeting but I don't think we'll be capable of defeating them!" the scout exclaimed. Arden paused, uncertain of what to do though she could see that Athena was only somewhat shocked. But Arden wasn't surprised by that considering that it was Athena who had said that Pina never used the same trick twice if unneeded to. "Arden, your scout still needs your answer!" Athena demanded after nearly a minute.

"Send the word out to the troops and tell them to assemble in attack formations for the battle that is to come. The Jedi will still be amassing their own formations and the march across the plains to this Academy will take a couple additional hours yet. By the time they arrive, we'll be ready to greet them even if indeed we can't defeat them," Arden ordered. The scout smiled and bowed before running with renewed energy to send the word out to the ranks of the Legions of Lettow.

"Excellent, you have managed to at least control your grief for Xendor long enough to command the Legions as he would," Athena said, sincerely complimenting her. "I don't have the strategic cunning that Xendor does but I can make up for that by inspiring the troops to the greatest feats they can do. Perhaps it won't be enough in the grand scheme of things but for now, it should suffice that even as individuals in our ranks we can still unite to defend a common goal," Arden replied. "I don't know what you mean, milady," Athena admitted.

"Admirable as the setup for each and every member of the Legions to be an individual that wasn't incapacitated by the absence of a group, there is one major flaw. The glue of collaboration is not as strong in such groups as ours compared to how it is in the Jedi who believe in harmony and unity. Only now do I realize that this mistake may cost us the battle more than any strategic error on my part or Xendor's," Arden explained. "Even so, we can give them a show worth remembering for the ages to come," Athena vowed.

"Yes we can and we will, my dear friend. By the end of this battle, they will understand why it would have been easier for them to leave us alone and not force us to attack Ossus and Coruscant. Prepare your swords and armor then prepare to join me at the front of the temple walls, our forces are going to need both their remaining leaders nearby to be motivated," Arden requested. Athena nodded and ran as fast as her aged legs could carry her to where her headquarters were and began preparing.

_So this is the battle that decides the fate of the Legions or the fate of the Jedi Order in the event that the Force decides to bless us with the nice side of its will. If this is to be the end of the war, so be it_ Arden thought to herself silently. _Do not count on the Force blessing you with a victory: Master Pina has made a cunning strategic maneuver by disguising his forces. Had he not done that, you'd have undoubtedly spotted him and annihilated his forces_ the Talisman warned.

_All the more reason that any damage we do the ranks of the Jedi Order will be far more glorious than any space battle where they decided to attack us directly_ Arden replied. _You mortals and your self-indulgent need for honor and glory... Someday, Arden Lyn, you will realize that honor and glory do not make up the essence of life by even a long shot_ the Talisman stated. _I am already fairly aware of that but those things go good for boosting your credentials_ Arden said.

_Oh the indignity that is sure to come with that way of thinking_ the Talisman stated. _It's good it comes with some degree of indignity because at this time, dignity is somewhat dangerous. Could cause our downfall more than anything else_ Arden replied. The Talisman silenced itself at that point and Arden joined Athena in watching the Legions gather for their possible final stand.

"How many in our force altogether, Captain?" she asked a nearby Legionnaire she recognized. "Seventy-two thousand milady especially now that we have no pirate allies to rely on and the Followers of Palawa have turned their backs on us. From the scout report, the Jedi outnumber us by twelve-thousand troops," the Captain answered. _They've brought the full might of the Order with them except pocketfuls of Masters and Knights as well as many Initiates_ Arden observed.

From that point, she was able to determine that the Jedi were willing to make this the last stand of the Legions or else the destruction of the Order for they had never thrown so much at once, before. In fact, they had thrown so comparatively little that Arden was almost intimidated to be going up against this new number. However, she had to put her doubts aside, thank the Captain and ask Athena what she suggested the Legions do when the Jedi arrive. "Have as many of all our military classes as you can afford to have out there except for the Archers: they'll do better behind stone walls.

"For the home defense beside them, have the majority of that force be Sentinels and Guardians wherever possible. If they send in their Jedi Warriors after breaching our gates, we'll want to have as much ability to counter and stall them before Pina arrives as possible," Athena answered immediately. "Way ahead of you on that end, Athena. I had such forces prepared when I ordered the scout to issue the attack formation signal, what else you got?" Arden inquired.

"Just hold the line for as long as possible, the longer we can prevent Pina from reach the Temple walls the better your chances of escape should the Academy be on the verge of falling. I have already ordered scouts to look for a tunnel that could act as a shortcut to your ship in such an event. But let's just hope that the will of the Force actually smiles on us and grants us victory," Athena explained. "Yes, let us hope that it does but prepared to see it not doing that," Arden agreed.

But both knew the reality of their desperate situation: the moment Pina reached the gates, it was over for the Legions of Lettow. Bearing the Sword of Ashla, much less wielding it, would grant Pina extraordinary power of command and battle skill. In addition, the Jedi were used to fighting as a group rather than individually. If the Legions were victorious, it would be damned lucky break for them all.


	60. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

Pina looked at the formations gathered before him and had to admit that he was decently impressed. After all, he couldn't tell from looking at them whether or not they were Arden's idea or even if they were Athena's. However, he could still tell that Xendor would most likely have never thought of this under the pressuring circumstances unless he had it as his defense strategy all along. _Hmm, would he have allowed these formations to be so chaotic even if it is thinly organized?_ Pina asked himself silently.

"Captain, have the Archers ready to counter any of their Archers who fire upon our men. After that, order the Jedi Guardians of the First Wave to fall behind the Sentinels and Warriors. Then have the latter two classes charge upon the gathered Legionnaires," Pina ordered. With these orders, he was observing that though he outnumbered Arden Lyn by twelve thousand, his formations were tighter.

He would need to do what he could to make the best of his numbers if he wanted to reduce the casualties as much as he could. This would be especially true if he didn't want the width of the Legion formations to be used as an advantage against him in this ravine near the Great Lettow Mountains. When he saw that his orders were obeyed, he was surprised to see how calculated and contained the charge of the Warriors and Sentinels of the First Wave seemed to be. He also watched as the arrival of these Warriors and Sentinels was marked by four Legionnaires being killed for every one of his soldiers.

Smiling, he watched as Legion Archers tried to strike down his numbers only for Pina's Archers to reply with fire of their own that wiped out nearly two thousand enemy Archers. "Have half of the Archers keep a volley on Legionnaire Archers until they're exterminated. Keep another half on the Legionnaire Warriors and Sentinels in order to cover our own until we've done a great deal of damage. I don't want half of our First Wave committed to an operation that has failed to so much as pierce their ranks before we send out the rest," Pina added while he watched the battle unfold.

The captain next to him bowed and made sure to have his orders obeyed by the Archers as well as the Warriors and Sentinels already fighting on the field. "What should I have the Archers do when they run out of energy batteries for their arrows?" he asked when he came back. "Have them draw swords and charge into the ranks of the Legions, keep one of our catapults ready too. Just a little bit of an insurance policy in case the Archers missed any of their fellows on the Legion ranks," Pina answered.

Once the orders were relayed, Pina watched as the Warriors and Sentinels of the First Wave began to fall before the might of the Legionnaire ranks. Then he watched as the Warriors and Sentinels of the Second Wave rushed to keep the pace of destruction going. And as he watched the events unfold, he doubted that this was genuine war that was glorious so much as inhumane slaughter. "How many men will we have left after we ask the Archers to make the charge?" Pina asked.

"You've yet to use any of your sixty-thousand Guardians, if that helps you figure your numbers out any," the captain answered. "Unacceptable, when the Archers make their charge I want the Guardians going in and covering them as best as possible. The Legions have yet to expend any of their own Guardians and I want as much of their force reduced before entering the fortress as is possible. Once we get to that fortress, we'll be victorious so it shall be best to keep our losses to a minimum," Pina said.

"With due respect sir, this course will only mean that we will suffer moderate casualties at minimum and they will be nearly exterminated by the time we arrive. Take a look at the strain their forces are going through just to stop the Warriors and Sentinels of both waves. The Archers are sure to take out whatever remains and expose the Legion Guardians for the final push," the captain replied. _Even so, it's going to be a butcher house of dead bodies before the battle is over_ Pina thought silently though he shrugged to drop the argument.

**"Arden, this is madness:** we can't hold out much longer than a couple days if we even last the night!" a Legionnaire shouted. "Back to your place trooper, defending Lettow's honor was part of what you accepted when you became a Legionnaire!" Athena replied to the young Warrior. "No Athena, he's right: we had twenty-eight hundred Archers before Pina had his own fire on them. Now we only have barely three-hundred and Force knows how many other problems I could list?" Arden said.

"Only a coward accepts defeat at the hands of an enemy without a fight. When I fought Pina, I made him earn his way to a victory," Athena countered. "Then why don't I just hand leadership of the Legions to you, do you think you can do better under these conditions?" Arden snapped. Athena didn't say anything at that point, probably guessing that Arden was still grieving for Xendor.

"Point taken, seeing as I was defeated by him even if I did temporarily give him a run for his money. And now he has the Sword of Ashla in his possession, does that mean anything to you?" she asked after thinking for a bit. Arden paled and the look of surprise and fear in her eyes gave away the answer before she spoke.

"Legend has it that the Sword of Ashla was created with a fourth of the soul of the warrior who made it. Anyone besides the creator who holds it will wield great power amplified by their connection to the Force. Since Pina is the most powerful Jedi Knight I know in any class, the Sword of Ashla has amplified its powers and his accordingly," Arden explained. "Given that it was created with a part of the wielder's soul, there must have been some substantial circumstances for that to happen," Athena stated.

"There were: the Force Wars, a decade-long conflict that ravaged Tython until it became what you see it as today. The Followers of Bogan were keeping the Followers of Ashla at a stalemate with some turns in both the directions it could go from there. Then the most powerful leader of Ashla decided to create a weapon that would end the war once and for all.

"A weapon forged with a piece of the soul of a being of Light and meant to counter any appliance of the Dark Side against the Ashla: the Sword of Ashla. When the Sword was used for the first time, it produced the most massive storm of Emerald Lightning ever known to any Force-sensitive. Every single Follower of Bogan within the width of at least half the planet was killed by the storm while the Followers of Ashla remained unharmed even at point-blank range of the blast. The souls of the Bogan who were afflicted were ripped from their bodies and scattered across time and space.

"But since every great power comes at an equally great price, the original wielder of the sword also had his soul's remains ripped from his body and scattered across the cosmos to seal away the Bogan forever. His body was cremated but his sword (with all its power) was sealed and eventually relocated to Ossus along with the rest of the artifacts from the days of the old Je'daii," Arden said. "What about the Black Firestone you used to locate the Oracle?" Athena asked.

"Rumor has it that has been down where I had found it for eons before the first Temples were built so that wasn't taken from its keep. Some tried but failed for the very reason I nearly failed when I was sent there as an Initiate," Arden answered. "Miladies, Pina is stopping his attack and I have reason to believe he's waiting to draw our Legion Guardians out!" their captain shouted. "Then let's give him what he wants: at the very least, the Guardians can stall until my shuttle is ready.

"We'll also also need the time they can give in order to ready our Home Defense Force, just in case they break through the gates," Arden ordered. "Wise decision, Arden: if you can't beat him, at least stall him until you're ready for a glorious final stand for the Legions of Lettow," Athena stated. "Milady, the shuttle is being ignited but I want to know if you want the other transports ready for takeoff too. There is still time to save a few of our buddies besides you and Athena," the captain suggested.

"All right, do what you can but have the defense force ready to make a stand, just in case Pina breaches the gates. Have them ready to make a retreat if they can't defend the fortress, I want as little bloodshed on the defense force's part as possible. We've already lost many good men and women who were all excellent Legionnaires in life," Arden replied. The captain nodded and went to relay the orders as Arden and Athena watched the events of the final battle unfold.

"Pina will also be desiring as little bloodshed as possible, you've forced him to give up his desire for that resolution in favor of victory. With that said, you've already won a part of the battle even if he's won the rest," Athena said. "Obviously not a large part but thanks anyway, Athena," Arden replied. _Larger than you know, young one: only a child of Pina can do this more successfully than I could_ Athena thought silently.

**"Is this it? Is** this all you can conjure, Arden Lyn? Seems as though Xendor was the brains of this operation, after all," Pina's captain mocked. "Do not pride yourself on having outwitted Arden, just yet: Xendor is a master strategist but Arden is very good at being intuitive in under pressure.

"It could be only a little while before we're in her element and not our own when it comes to warfare," Pina warned. "Maybe so and maybe not but she's sending in the Legion equivalent to our Jedi Guardians and she's going to realize that ours are more than a match for hers," the captain promised. "No, that's where you're wrong: so long as the shields are in the way, a Jedi Guardian is virtually indestructible. Have the Archers cover our Guardians and tell them to use their remaining batteries on the shields of the Legion Guardians until they're destroyed," Pina ordered.

"How do you know that, sir? The Guardian's shield can counter anything!" the captain asked. "Anything from the Warriors and Sentinels of the Jedi Order, yes. But at most, the shield would only last against approximately half a dozen to ten projectile weapons of any kind.

"Once the shields are out of the way, our Guardians and Archers can combine blade-strength to finish off the rest of the Legion forces before marching on the Lettow fortress," Pina answered. "Now how would you know that to work, may I ask?" the captain requested. "Firstly, I am a Jedi Guardian myself and am in fact the leader of the designation in the Jedi Order. Secondly, I know this because the Kashi Mer Dynasty arsenal was fraught with projectiles that destroyed the shields of many Guardians.

"We had to keep them at bay with our spears unless we managed to lure them into close combat with our swords. I had to help many of my kindred Guardians develop strategies to counter this effect in order to survive the projectiles before then beating the Kashi Mer soldiers in single combat. From here on, it is best that you merely listen and obey but not speak unless you are spoken to by me or by a subordinate," Pina replied. It was obvious that the captain was angry by the response but knew better than to trifle a request like that from a man like Pina.

"Captain, come with me: we're going into the field of battle with what remains of our forces. Besides, it's about time I put my spear and my sword to use," Pina said after a while. The captain nodded, drawing his sword in the process and preparing his armor before entering the field. Having no need of armor, but having again donned on his Guardian robes except for the mask, Pina waited.

Once the captain was ready to join him, both went into the field of battle and ordered the Guardians to fall behind them. "Again, the Green Blade shall rise to defend the Order and its ideals! Bless the glory that befall Awdrysta Pina in the final moments of this battle!" the captain shouted. "I'm not after glory, I'm after Arden Lyn and the end of the Legions!" Pina shouted back at him.

Backhanding the officer as punishment for disobeying an order, Pina turned to his fellow Guardians and gave them the order to begin the charge behind him. _Forgive me for this Arden, I must end this war with either your capture or your death_ Pina thought to himself. Then he shot his spear across the sky, above the Legionnaires, and over the fortress gate with Arden as its target. After that, he unsheathed the Sword of Ashla and began slicing down Legionnaires that got in his way.

**Arden sensed Pina's presence** approaching the battlefield long before she saw his entrance beside the Jedi Guardians in his army. Then she sensed him thrust his spear at her as though she was in his body and making the thrust across the valley and over the fortress gates. But before she could be impaled thanks to her fear petrifying her out of dodging the weapon, Athena pushed her out of the way. After that, Arden watched helplessly as the spear impaled Athena instead and the impact of it throwing her against the wall.

"No!" Arden screamed before using her sword to cut the spearhead off. Then she made to pull the shaft out of Athena, who told her not to waste her time. "My debt to your father is paid, now the pact I made with him is complete," she said. "My father... who the fuck is my father!?" Arden demanded.

"Do you recognize this spear?" Athena answered. "It belongs to Awdrysta Pina, who tried to use it on me though you took it instead!" Arden replied. "Arden... Pina is your father," Athena said. At that moment, Arden's grief at the death of Xendor combined with the revelation to consume her.

"Athena, please say you're just bullshitting me! Just tell me that it isn't true! Awdrysta Pina is not my father!" she begged. "I... I wish... I wish I could," Athena replied.

Then she announced that she was going to the house of her ancestors in whose wise company, she wouldn't know shame, pain, or sorrow. "Arden, do not fight your father today. You will surely die if you do and the Legions will fall at the end of this battle. Stay alive, stay alive and run away until you find an area where you can stand on both feet or else he will destroy you," she warned.

As Arden looked in the distance, she saw Pina and his soldiers begin the final march on the fortress, the Archers trading their bows for their swords after destroying the Legion-Guardian shields. "This is going to be a slaughter before much longer, isn't it?" Arden asked rhetorically. "Your shuttle is ready, Arden. I can have the pilot be prepared to take you offworld before this battle ends and I can have Athena healed," the captain suggested, returning from rallying defenses.

"No, leave me here. Besides, someone needs to make sure your retreat isn't interfered with," Athena said. Arden nodded and asked the captain if he could stay with Athena while she went to the shuttle to escape. The captain nodded and began seeing what he could do to lessen the pain of Athena's injuries while Arden went to the transport.

However, before leaving Athena and the Legionnaires to their fate, Arden took one last look at them all including the captain though he told her to hurry and leave. Tears formed in her eyes for she knew it was the last time she was going to see any one of them ever again. _I am so sorry Xendor, I failed you and I failed to save our dream_ Arden thought silently. Then she heeded the captain's advice and headed for the ship in order to make her escape from the planet Lettow.

**It wasn't long before** Pina arrived at the gates of the fortress which fell before the might of the Sword of Ashla, allowing him access into headquarters of the Legions of Lettow. After that, he watched as his fellow Guardians poured upon the Sentinels and Warriors of the Legions like water on rock. It was only a matter of time before those who wouldn't surrender were routed and slaughtered. However, amidst the carnage of the final stages of the battle, he couldn't see Arden Lyn amongst either crowd.

"Sir, it seems like we have found someone that might know where Arden Lyn is located. She's wounded with your spear and it's only a matter of time before the wounds do her in," a soldier said. _Athena, you have never failed me and while I won't like seeing you go, I think I can thank you for this_ Pina thought quietly. "Hello Athena," he said aloud.

"You two know each other?" Pina's captain asked. "She used to be my concubine before I released her of her duties. I first met her fighting the Amazonian peoples of the Cathar system when I was a much younger Jedi Knight," Pina answered. "He was an honorable warrior back then, can't say the same for the rest of you," Athena suddenly stated.

"You got some nerve to be saying that now that Pina has defeated you twice!" the captain shouted. "Quiet, you. This is something between me and her, round up any remaining Legionnaires and make sure that there is no means for anyone to escape," Pina ordered. Just then, they heard the blast off of a shuttle that took off from the planet and Pina knew it was his daughter.

"Athena, where is she going? Where is that shuttle going?" Pina asked. "Arden didn't tell me, she didn't tell me because I didn't ask," Athena answered, smiling. Pina half-smirked at her as well and had to admit that Athena had done a very clever job of protecting Arden.

"Good girl, are there any other Legion figures that I should know about right now?" he inquired. "No, Tun, Sethul, Xendor, and Jook-jook were the other leaders beside me and Arden. Look what's happened to them since this started," she replied. "Indeed, I do have to wonder if this violence was really as necessary as it was made out to be," he admitted.

"It isn't your fault, you can still find her and save her from the wrath of the Jedi," she whispered after she pulled him close to her. "I hope she will cooperate with what I intend to do to save her life," he said. "Sir, we've rounded up as many Legionnaires as we could but a couple dozen have still managed to escape us including Arden," the captain said. "Good, take them to Coruscant and place them under Republic arrest: the Chancellor will decide what to do with them," Pina ordered.

"Sir, will it really be wise to leave the enemies of the Jedi to the Chancellor for execution?" the captain demanded. "The people of the Republic will need the promise of the Legions' destruction fulfilled. As such, they'll need a visual demonstration of that vow being fulfilled even if the demonstration doesn't fully realize the truth. Now do as I say or I'll be having you eaking out a living on scraps before the end of this," Pina replied.

The captain bowed and went to obey his orders though not before asking Pina if this was the end of the war. "Yes, the war is at an end once you're done here but I am still going to need to hunt down Arden Lyn so as to ensure another war doesn't start on her account," Pina said, nodding. As the Jedi began gathering prisoners and watching the escape pods launch, Pina began relaying orders. One such order was for any Guardians ready to do so to gather the other surviving Legionnaires.

"Arden is mine but do what you can to gather the others for the Chancellor to deliver his good will on them," Pina added. Several Guardians volunteered and began going on the mission to gather up the survivors unless they went into the Unknown Regions where they were lost forever. In the meantime, Pina stood by Athena's side until her time came and when it did he pulled the shaft of his spear out. _It was a good weapon and one that did not miss its aim in the slightest_

_I shall miss you Athena, as I miss Patricia even now. May you both find peace in the realm of the dead and be patient for if all goes well, I shall save Arden then join you there. I have nothing now that I have been forced to turn against my own child and kill you_ Pina Athena finally passed away, he closed her eyes and demanded a stretcher to carry her to Ossus.

"She will have a proper funeral there, fit for a concubine of Awdrysta Pina. After she is cremated, I want her ashes dispersed on the Great Plains. It is as she would have herself desired," he added to the men who carried her away. Once that was done, he renewed the hunt for his daughter.


	61. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

Of all the things that could have shattered Arden Lyn more than anything, the revelation that Awdrysta Pina was her father destroyed her the most. She demanded to know why he had been sent against her if this was the case. Did he hate her when she was a little girl, did he blame her for the death of her mother? Slamming her fists on the side of the shuttle which had been set to autopilot, Arden tried her best to sort out the answers on her own but failed miserably.

"Oh Athena, why didn't you tell me who my father was before the battle began? Did you fear this would happen if you did? How could you have feared that if you told me everything else about him except his name? Did you hope I'd connect the dots from how you described him?" she thought aloud. At the moment that she asked about connecting the dots, she had to admit that she felt stupid for having not done so sooner.

_There was nothing you could have done to figure it out for yourself without a name. War being brought to Lettow was a possibility and the Schism had caused much trouble before. It is not your fault, Arden Lyn, that you were not able to figure it out right there _the Talisman said. "Leave me alone!" she screamed at it aloud.

_Oh but you are alone, your father hunts you with intent to destroy you, your husband and all your friends are either dead or dying. You have no family to turn to, the Jedi Order has deserted you, and you have no children within your belly to pass on your name. More than you can possibly imagine, Arden Lyn, you are alone now and you're going to have to deal with it. For whether by the sword or by the slow decay of time, your pretty mortal flesh will wither and die._

_Now it's all a matter of deciding whether you die alone or you die having lifted the curse of the Ashes of Despair. Besides, I sense that no matter what you do, your death is further off from occurring than anyone you know_ the Talisman replied. She knew it was mocking her by telling the truth, however its comment about her death being prolonged more than anyone confused her. "Pina will be breathing down my neck if he isn't already and you tell me I will survive him?" she asked.

_You will survive him, yes but he will not survive you. However, victory over him will come at a greater price than you know_ the Talisman answered. "You make no sense," she said aloud. _In due time, I will_ it said with a slight laughter.

"That doesn't make my situation any better. Maybe you can tell me of a good destination to start making my final stand?" she asked. _I assure you that you will know when you arrive to it but for now, do what you can to get as far away from the Jedi as possible_ it answered. Then it occurred to Arden that Xendor had a private cave he retreated to on Irkalla when he need solitude.

"The place is like a fortress and could have been easily defended by the Legions if we had made that our capital rather than Lettow," she added. _Then to Irkalla we go and your destiny beyond that_ the Talisman stated. "Follow if you dare, father. I'll be waiting when you arrive to Irkalla, where I will have the advantage rather than you," Arden vowed with a smile.

**"Arden Lyn has passed **beyond my sight, her takeoff from Lettow leaves me clueless as to where she could be going next. If I pursue her, I may be lost long before I have any chance to find her. I am old after all and do not have the life resources to pursue her as I once would have," Pina said. "Sir, with due respect, we can trace the path left by the burnt fuel of her ship," an officer offered.

"And why should that be of consequence to me?" Pina asked. "Because we can use any curves in the fuel path to set up the most likely course she is to take. You're hunting her, you're going to need all the technological help you can get. Don't rely on the Force alone or else you'll be lost long before you even have a chance to find her," the officer answered.

"And have you already found the path that she was most likely to have gone on?" Pina inquired. "Whether it ends there or not, we have already calculated that one of her destinations is a former Kashi Mer property known as Irkalla. Does that mean anything to you?" the officer explained. "Yes, it was estate specifically given to the Prince of the Dynasty so they can have time for solitude.

"It was a common belief of the Dynasty that sometimes, the Prince needed to meditate on his training and process what he learned in order to become King. If Xendor showed Arden the way there, she definitely has a fortified arrangement going for her thanks to the mountains surrounding the estate. Volcanoes surround the mountain it's carved into and an eruption would ensure the near-permanent sealing of the entrance," Pina replied. "Then I think you have a place to start, if not the destination of your final confrontation with Arden Lyn," the officer said.

"Thank you Commander, ready my ship and begin transporting the prisoners to Coruscant for their sentencing. He'll want punishments to be swift and sure for the remaining Legionnaires," Pina said. The officer nodded and in one hour, his ship was ready for blastoff to Irkalla and possibly (hopefully) his death. With the Sword of Ashla in tow, he gave a final look to the fallen Jedi and fallen Legionnaires and began to replay the events of the final destruction of the Kashi Mer Dynasty in his mind.

He remembered leading dozens of raids on the Dynasty holdings by order of Tiberius with approval from the Chancellor backing him up. The flashbacks of the men, women, and children that were slaughtered by battle-fueled soldiers of the Republic raced across his mind in seconds. But with each flash, he was returned to the present carnage of the present war for equally short time flashes. As the fortress of the Legions of Lettow was set aflame, the destruction of many Dynasty villages appeared.

The screams of women as they held onto their crying children drilled into his ears and gnawed at his mind, bringing a look of grim pity and remorse upon his face. "Sir, are you alright?" a young soldier asked him. Pina turned to him and in the instant of seeing him, the old Jedi remembered seeing a Kashi Mer soldier his age being brought down by a relentless barrage of arrows and spears. In total, the poor lad must have taken at least forty-seven arrows and seven spears before he simply collapsed.

Another flash brought him to the sight of Tiberius slashing at the knees of a Kashi Mer Royal to bring him down before decapitating him. In that one moment alone, Tiberius had looked as young as this soldier and as old as Pina himself was now simultaneously. "Sir?" the young soldier insisted. "Tell me, what is your name?" Master Pina replied.

"Rhama, son of the House of Akela, Master," the soldier stated. "Rhama Akela, why did you join this conflict? Did you seek glory and fame, perhaps a little fortune and a rush of women crowding at your door?" Pina asked. "No Master, I joined because my Master told me that I had to though I wouldn't have minded any of those things you mentioned if I obtained them," Rhama admitted.

Smiling, Pina clasped a hand on the young Jedi's shoulder and commended both his honesty and his humility. "By only participating out of loyalty for your Master without thought of reward or benefit to yourself, you have realized why war is so ugly. War is by its nature the backwards spiral to primeval days of everything the galaxy could become. It is the rape of civilized thought and the replacement of rational, calculated civilization.

"The hopeful commit to it to find some sort of lost identity that peace could not offer them when they never realized they had everything they needed without lifting their swords to fight a war. The naive join for all the benefits and comforts of the false sense of heroism embodied by all I mentioned. However, the true Jedi is the one who- if forced to join a war- does so in humility and awareness of who he is: the moment any man such as yourself commits for those aims is still a Jedi even in this filth. Those who fail to achieve this aim are nothing more than dogs proclaiming themselves to be Jedi yet use their status to justify their reasons for killing those who stand in their way.

"For fifty-eight years, I've traversed the galaxy in service to what I thought was the only cause worth believing. I thought the Jedi were incorruptible and joined the Order with a similar mentality to what you have confessed me, thinking we Jedi were all brothers in arms to the end. So long as there is no end to war, there is no end to the time when even Jedi can be reduced to naught but squabbling curs. Do not forget it, Rhama Akela, for should you ever be present in another war before the end of your life then you will need to know that your sense of identity and your heart are your best hopes of surviving.

"I am a sixty-year-old fool now with a twenty-six-year-old daughter that people believe will pose a threat to the galaxy so long as she is alive. Yes boy: Arden Lyn is my child and as any father would be, I am unable to bear the thought of bringing my blade down on my own child. Yet I continue in pursuit of her because the Order says it is the right thing to do, because the dogs in charge demand it. Remember my story, Rhama, and be warned that should ever you encounter dogs in the high places of the Order then you are to stand up for what is right and true about our Code as my daughter did.

"Promise me that you will do that and promise that you will never tell anyone what I have confessed to you about my kinship to Arden Lyn," he explained. "I can guarantee the latter but for the former, I can only guarantee that if it happens again in my lifetime then I will try," Rhama confessed. "Good, that is all I need to be happy that at least one youngling has a decent future ahead of him," Pina replied with a smile. "Master, your shuttle is ready to swing around and pick you up whenever you are ready to continue your pursuit," Pina's Captain interjected.

"Very well, tell the pilot that he may swing by whenever he wishes. I was just finishing a discussion with this wise young lad," Pina said, smiling and winking at Rhama. Then he decided to pierce into the boy's mind to give him a telepathic message as he turned around and left. _Do not forget my story, young man nor stray from the path of the Jedi._

_For in war, the path of the Jedi shall be the path of your heart and the path of your heart will never betray you. You'll feel some pain receiving this if you haven't used telepathy before but I know that you can hear me_ he said. _This is not the first time, I can definitely promise that I will never forget you: you were once the mentor of my Master, after all_ the boy replied. Chuckling, Pina admitted that it was a small universe and he wasn't surprised by that comment about Rhama's past.

**Arriving to Xendor's personal** fortress on Irkalla, Arden had to admit that she could see how he would be able to use it as a solitude facility. "Xendor, my love, you need a few more decorations in here. This is too damn gloomy even for the deepest brooder," Arden thought with a giggle. _In the gloomiest corners of the galaxy, solitude is a form of refuge for those in peril_ the Talisman said.

"Speak for yourself, artifact of the Dynasty. You're the spirit of an ancient god trapped within a little prism of glass that can only offer power to those who use you," Arden replied. _Perhaps that is true but I have learned a few things about mortals in my time being banished here_ it snapped. "Like what, for instance?" she asked it.

_Like why you and Xendor felt the need for love, felt the need for a sense of familiarity and thus a sense of comfort within each other. I understand why he chose to propose to you in the fashion that he did rather than in the more conforming fashion of other men_ it answered. "Unfortunately for you, the way you say it indicates that Xendor and I were the rule rather than the exception which is not true," Arden replied. _I knew you two were the exception when it should have not been so, all I meant was that it would be nice if everyone were a little like you two_ it said.

"Now why would I believe the words of a god on that sort of thing? Or is that a silly thing to ask the spirit of the Kashi Mer Talisman?" she asked. _Not entirely no but I have only this to say: because I have seen people like you two come in and out of existence all the time. And each time it happened, they were both stamped out like lethargic flies under a swatter_ it explained.

"Speaking of swatters, I sense Pina approaching the atmosphere above," Arden replied. _Then you know what you must do. Prepare yourself for what is sure to be the inevitable conflict destined for you before your birth_ the Talisman told her. "I know, I know," she whispered.

After telling the artifact that, she placed it beneath her shirt in order to better hide it for fear that Pina might see it and desire its power. She knew that it was unlikely that Pina would stray that far from the Jedi Path but it was a worthy precaution to take until she knew for certain. "Alright father, come and fight me; only your doom awaits and even the Sword of Ashla will not protect you," she vowed. She also said it in telepathy in order to make sure he knew she was waiting for him in Xendor's domain.

**Arriving to Irkalla, Pina** could sense the presence of his daughter and the Talisman that once belonged to her husband and knew at once that she was waiting for him. _Alright father, come and fight me; only your doom awaits and even the Sword of Ashla will not protect you_ she said. Surprised by her intrusion into his mind, he had to admit that even his faith in his daughter's abilities extended this far. Though it was likely a telepathic wave amplified by the Talisman's power, he had to admit that it impressed him all the same.

It wasn't long before he touched down next to her ship nor any longer still before he reached the doorstep of the deep cave that cut into the mountainside. As he got closer to her, he felt her grief for Xendor as well as her anger at knowing that the man sent to kill her had also helped conceive her. He honestly couldn't blame her: in her place, he would have done just the same as far as he was concerned. But finally, he arrived to the chamber where she was waiting for him after crossing a long bridge over a pitch-black abyss and greeted.

"You made a mistake in coming here, my foolish old father," Arden said spitefully. "Yes Arden I was a fool but not for having come here: I am fool for having never given myself the chance to raise you. If there was anyone I loved more than your mother, it was you," Pina replied. "Then tell me why you abandoned me!?" she demanded.

She attacked him with a flurry of Terras Kasi that he had never seen before but guessed to be the Variant of Anger considering what he had learned of its patterns. He defended it as best he could with his own knowledge of Terras Kasi and when he had a chance, he spoke again. "No Arden, abandoning you would have meant risking your starvation and possible death as a child. I gave you a new life with new parents to raise you because I loved you too much to afford you that fate," he said.

"You're lying!" she screamed. It was then that he pinned her hands as best he could then asked her to look into his eyes. "Look into the eyes of the father who spent every day dying even in the heat of battle because he could not bear to be separated from you," he told her. He gave her a minute to look into his eyes, the golden orbs she called her own eyes stained with lines of red with the tears of sadness.

"You and your mother were both so much more beautiful when you were as happy as could be. It pains me to look into your eyes and see the sadness of your mother within you," he added. "I am nothing like my mother, I can't produce children worth a damn for one thing!" she shouted. "You're right, you aren't like your mother and I see a little bit of me within you as well. But most importantly, I see you as the unique person that you are: my sweet young daughter," he replied.

"Do you have any last requests before I destroy you?" she asked after a moment. "Yes, allow me the privilege of holding the Talisman for there is a gift I wish to transfer to it. It is something I no longer want to hold on to and wish to eventually pass on to you," he answered. At first, she did barely more than recoil from him but she granted him his request and tossed the artifact at him.

_If you can hear me, spirit of the Talisman, I pray that ye take all I wish to tell Arden into your being and transfer it upon her after I am dead_ he said to it telepathically. A swoosh of wind swept its way through Pina's robes, hair, and beard which made him shiver briefly. _It is done: all that you are, know, and wish to tell your daughter is within me now_ the voice of the Talisman said. "Thank you Arden for allowing me this one request for after we are through here, you will understand everything you need to know including why I asked," he vowed before readying his blade.


	62. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen**

Slightly smirking after Pina tossed her the Talisman back to her as he spoke his vow, she prepared herself to use the two-bladed technique that Xendor had taught her. Transforming her scabbard into a duplicate of her sword, she watched to see what he would do next. However, she was far from prepared when he mimicked her spell and seemed to hold two Swords of Ashla instead of one. "I have always yearned to understand the secret to this technique and why it was not only convenient but also very effective in its delivery of results.

"When I finally understood the mechanisms of it, I then had a difficult time finding an opportunity to use it in combat. Perhaps now, I can finally have the opportunity to use the skills I have honed for many years even if the adversary is one I do not wish to face?" Pina asked. "So be it," Arden answered. Then father and child were pitted against each other for the first time in the history of the Jedi Order, a conflict that would echo throughout the rest of time both before and after this duel.

For a time, Arden and Pina both maintained a steady of barrage of both defense and offense against one another. Sometimes, Arden Lyn's anger managed to provide her the strength to swat down most of Pina's defenses and force him to give ground to her. Other times, Pina's love for her and his reluctance to destroy her gave him the strength to kick her back over some of that ground. It was during those moments that Pina would quickly regain the lost ground and then do what he could to gain more.

He knew, as Arden did, that any advantage that they could get in terms of ground and their skills would give them the prevailing edge in this confrontation. Then, when they had about equal footing, Arden was surprised when Pina managed to knock both of her blades out of her hands. Fearing for her life, she immediately grabbed his wrists and applied pressure until he dropped his blades as well. Then she used the Force to conjure a small ball of Kinetite in order to throw him away from his weapons.

After that, she used telekinesis to throw them across such distance as to make any attempt to reach one of them a struggle and both of them virtually impossible. During this time, she observed the blade that had been in his left hand transforming into the scabbard while the right-hand one didn't. Smiling, she knew she had found the real blade in time to call her own back into her hands and press the attack on the unarmed Jedi. He managed to hold her off surprising well with his skills in Terras Kasi but she knew that this would not last forever.

She knew that he would need one of his weapons back in order to continue the duel but since she was closer to the scabbard than to the sword, she used the Force to bend and shatter it. "Now you will never again be able to use two swords against me," she vowed with a smile. "You just made a serious mistake, Arden Lyn: fighting with one sword is my specialty even more than my spear. When I recover my weapon, you will regret what you just did within moments of the recovery," he promised.

He continued to hold her off with his Terras Kasi by catching her blows at her wrists though he never grabbed then and threw them aside. Then he surprised her further when he placed a palm just under her chest and induced a spell of malacia upon her. As Arden lied temporarily nauseated by the Force power, Pina recovered the Sword of Ashla and prepared himself for further combat. "Last time I saw you sick, Arden, was when you were a year and a half old.

"How your mother used to panic whenever you started vomiting and oh, how I wished I could heal you with my power in those moments. Nonetheless, I was glad to have the memory of my presence and your mother's presence usually being enough to heal you in combination to your Force-attunement. Why can't things be as they were before?" Pina stated, thinking aloud. "Ironic that you would actually cause a sickness in me even if it would last for only a few moments," Arden agreed.

Chuckling and half-smiling under his shaggy white beard, Pina continued the duel with his newly acquired position in the duel. Unfortunately for Arden, the power of the Sword of Ashla combined with Pina's initial skills were proving him right about her regretting her earlier move against his second blade. "No, I will not be defeated; my destiny is to emerge victorious!" she screamed at one point. "Indeed Arden, indeed but for now you will need to remain on the verge of defeat," Pina replied calmly.

Then he developed yet another surprise when he applied enough power into a right horizontal slash from the Sword to send the duplicate of her sword flying against the wall to her left. She knew she would never be able to reach it in time and so she turned onto her own skills with a single blade. A couple times, she put him on edge when she used her sword to conjure sharp crescent energy shafts. However, he seemed to know how to conjure shafts of his own to deflect hers but as the fight continued she began to notice a change in him.

His old age meant that even if he had the initial strength of someone as young as her, he would need to give into Force Valor in order to keep it up. Realizing that she had not yet done that herself, she grinned wickedly and decided to take advantage of his blindness to his own power of Force Valor. Combining both Valor and Battlemind, Arden continued with an enhanced attack that she doubted he had ever seen in himself or his opponents in years long gone. "You know the Battlemind spell?" he asked before slowly beginning to warm up to his usage of Force Valor.

"Yes I do, Xendor taught it to me fairly early on in our marriage along with many powers that the Talisman granted him. However, in terms of natural ability, I bested Xendor in all the same abilities he taught me as well as the Force powers the Jedi Sentinel was required to learn," she answered. Whether she knew it or not, Arden had taken a joy to confessing that she was able to beat Xendor around with the Force and keep him on his toes in blade combat even if she couldn't beat him there. "You sound much like I was when I was your age only I was top of the class in bladework in addition to Force Power, hence my status as a Jedi Guardian," Pina admitted.

The duel continued after that and neither individual spoke, giving into their intense concentration on defeating and immobilizing or destroying the other. But finally, there was an instance where despite her combined use of Battlemind and Force Valor, Arden was being slowly defeated by Pina. _No, how is this possible?_ she asked herself silently._ Call upon my power, Mistress, and I shall help you finish him_ the Talisman answered in her head.

_No, I will not resort to using your power until I am absolutely certain I have no other choice. I am not like Xendor and I hope I will never be like him in that regard, at least_ she said. Then she continued using her skills with two blades against his traditional combat skills and had to admit that while she still held her own, she would not have wanted to fight him when he was much younger. She knew that though she was undoubtedly placing more strain than he was used to his youthful identity would have had no problem dealing with this.

Then the worst happened when he managed to score a kick in the face and gain more ground than she could ever have wanted to lose. _Call upon my power, Arden Lyn. Even with your application of Force Valor and Battlemind, you cannot defeat him without me_ the Talisman said. _No, this will be a fair and honorable duel as much as possible but rest assured that your power will be used when absolutely necessary_ she hissed at it telepathically. "It's tempting you like it tempted him, isn't it?" Pina asked.

"How did you know?" she replied. "Because it once tried to get me to wear it and use its power. But when I placed it around Xendor's neck rather than my own, it vowed that I would one day pay for having denied it," he explained. _That explains your eagerness to deal with him, doesn't it?_ she asked the Talisman.

_In a nutshell, it does but there was a lot more detail to it than that. Why do you think I still respected him enough to grant his request?_ it replied. She didn't know what it meant nor did she really want to since she was in the middle of fighting for her life at present. However, as she continued to fight, she realized she would have the advantage if she continued to fight in open space.

She needed to wear him out, dodge around his most powerful attacks and deflect as many of his lesser ones as she could. Her offensive power would only need to be exerted to wear him down further than he already would be otherwise and she knew he sensed her aiming for this. "Clever girl," he said with a smile. Immediately after saying that, he unleashed a barrage of offensive power with his sword that had her constantly watching her step in order to avoid tripping and losing the duel.

However even that was enough when she tried to strike back but he had her further offended when he conjured power in his sword to deflect her blow and send her flying a couple meters away. "Hey, no fair: only I'm allowed to use that spell!" she mocked. "On the contrary, it is a far more universal spell of all the classes than you know," he countered.

After she rose up to try and stop another attack from him, he instead stopped short of actually crashing his blade upon her two blades and used telekinesis to rip both weapons from her. Transforming the duplicate sword back into the scabbard than sheathing the blade, he tossed it to the right of her. Since it was far beyond her reach, she decided to try and attack him with her full mastery of Terras Kasi rather than attempt to reach it. Despite that effort though, Pina grabbed her with another application of telekinesis and rapidly levitated her into the air.

When he did this, he added a face-down slam to the ground into his telekinetic attack and pulled her back up before slamming her back into the wall to the right of him. He concluded this barrage of telekinesis by bringing her within meters of him then Force-pushing her to the front of him. Arden tried her best to recover from the attack, even bringing storms of Force Lightning upon him. However, this was easily countered when he absorbed it with Tutaminis and shot it right back at her instead.

She did her best to deflect most of it with a barrier but some of it got past the rapidly-created wall of energy and caused immobilizing pain to her body. Panting to recover from the toll of the electrocution she saw Pina march up to her cautiously and point his blade ahead of himself. _Now is the time Arden, use my power and strike down your father, as is your destiny!_ the Talisman ordered. _Wait, just wait: he'll leave an opportunity for me to use your power before he tries to kill me and that's when we'll have him_ she reassured it.

"You are defeated and you have no means by which to counter me any further, Arden Lyn. Do you surrender or must I be forced to destroy you with the Sword of Ashla?" he asked. "You will not kill me and I will not surrender," she answered. "I warn you, I will destroy you," he stated.

"No... you won't," she said. "I will!" he insisted. "No you won't; I will transcend this duel and I shall be the one to destroy you, father!" she said in a fashion she never had before. Then from her throat came a Force-imbued scream, a power that neither individual had ever seen before in their lives.

The Force Scream, due to its newness, forced Pina to conjure a Force barrier with the sword which turned out to be his biggest mistake. Upon contacting the Sword of Ashla, the wave of Force energy shattered it and drove the pieces into his body before melting outside of him from the pressure. One piece, the last inch or so of the blade, ripped its way into Pina's heart before driving itself out and melting with the other pieces. Only a little less than half the blade remained after this attack and even Arden had to admit that she had not seen it coming.

_Did you do that, Talisman?_ Arden asked. _I gave you the power to conduct it but you already had the bedrock laid for its transmission already. Nonetheless, I have to admit that you were right to wait until it was absolutely hopeless to use my power_ it answered. Arden watched as the power of the Sword of Ashla began to fade from the blade as Pina's lifeforce ebbed away from him.

"No, father! I didn't... I don't know what I've done!" she screamed, hoping somehow that she could still save him. "Not another word Arden, it is better this way," he replied reassuringly. She simply looked at him in shock as she was kept at bay by his open hand telling her to stay where she was.

"What are you doing, daddy?" she asked. She didn't know why she went from calling him 'father' to 'daddy' but the transition felt natural to her. "I am saving you from the wrath of those who would seek to avenge my death by your hand," he said as he raised the remaining sword in front of her. With the blade's cutting edge facing her, Arden watched as he accumulated the last of its power for an attack she knew she might not be able to counter.

"In my use of the last of this sword's power, my dearest daughter, it is my hope that I spare your life from the grief, hatred, and despair of these days. May you find a way to lift the curse of the Ashes of Despair off you in another day, another time, another age," he stated. "What the hell are you talking about!?" she demanded frightenedly. "As your father, Arden Lyn, I sentence you to the morichro trance and you shall never awaken until the Talisman's light is brought upon your body by an outsider.

"Forgive me, my child but in doing this I am committing myself to the greatest act of fatherly love that I can think of," he said just in time for a lightning bolt to emanate from the sword. Arden tried to counter it with a barrier, knowing full-well the dangers of being in a morichro trance, to no avail. The power of the Sword of Ashla smashed its way through her barrier like paper and tapped her forehead. With such velocity did it impact her and shroud her body in its light-blue energy for several seconds that she was literally thrown to the ground by it.

Meanwhile, Pina sensed that the Sword of Ashla was completely drained of power which meant that it would only be a few weeks or so before it rusted and faded. He knew that he himself didn't have hours, never mind weeks, before he himself would pass on to the next dimension and he didn't mind. _Patricia, Athena, I am so sorry for what I have done here. I knew no other way to save her from the wrath of the Jedi Order_ he thought to himself sadly.

As he limped away from the sight of the duel, he looked down at the abyss that lied beckoning below the bridge when he arrived there. However, instead of throwing himself in it, he threw the remnants of the Sword of Ashla and kept limping away. He relied on what remaining Force power he had to be channeled into Force Valor and keep himself alive long enough to leave this cave. After all, he needed some time to reflect on his sixty-six years of existence and what it had all amounted to.

Becoming an old man once again, he reflected on the greatest achievements and the greatest failures of his day and everything in between. He considered it to be his greatest achievement in his personal life when Arden Lyn was born and saving Xendor the greatest of his Jedi life. But as he pondered what he would consider his greatest failure, he was surprised the Dynasty didn't chime in. However, this was remedied when he realized that his greatest failure was having not been the father Arden had needed, wanted, and yearned to love.

Arriving to both of the ships, he used the last of his most expendable power to send both shuttles down the chasm whose edge they had been sitting on. After that, he sat down and slowly let his grip on Force Valor leaving him in the knowledge that it was best not to postpone Death's arrival. But before fully letting go of his strength, he took a finger and wrote 'Arden Lyn is no more' into the sand. True that it was a lie but a lie that would be used to allow Arden the time she needed in order to find the age where she would have her second chance at life.

It was right after finishing the message for any Jedi that would find him that he noticed teardrops falling from his eyes and barely missing the letters of his message. "I am so sorry to have brought this upon you, Arden. Sorry that I could not raise you myself, sorry that I didn't have the courage to defy the Council and the Order when you and Xendor left! I am so sorry for everything!" Pina shouted.

No one heard the old man's cries of pain nor was anyone there to comfort him as he began sobbing in defeat, for he had lost his greatest treasure forever and he knew it. "In another time, I have followed you anywhere you asked, my daughter. My little princess, my angel of the blissful life I knew I could never have," Pina said, thinking aloud some more. It was then that he saw the vision of his wife and concubine descend from the heavens in white, billowy robes, skin beautiful as ever it was on them.

"Have you returned to me from beyond, my loves?" Pina asked. _Hush Awdrysta, you have been through so much pain that we have heard your cries. Yes we have come back but to take you with us to the realm of Ashla's eternal blessing_ answered Patricia. Though he knew her mouth was moving, he felt her speech in his head rather than his ear.

"Oh Force almighty, how I've longed for this day. Will Arden be safe, will she be alright?" Pina continued. _For twenty-five thousand years, she shall remain undisturbed. The Priests of the Followers of Palawa will see to that personally_ replied Athena.

"Then, my duty as her father... is complete. Take me to the eternal kingdom of Ashla, in whose company I will not know shame or fear," Pina said. _Let go of all your burdens and allow yourself to fly and you shall join us_ Patricia replied. Heaving slow sighs for what would undoubtedly be his last breaths of life, he extended a hand out for one of them to grab though both women took it.

With a final exertion of breath, Pina felt himself fade and closed his eyes in greeting of the eternal darkness that would eclipse his consciousness. Then at that moment, the great Awdrysta Pina's soul fluttered from his body and entered the afterlife of Ashla. The hollow, grief-stricken body left behind would be found six days later by Rhama Akela and given a proper funeral. Out of respect for who Pina was, executions for the Legionnaires that remained had been postponed for another two weeks.

After that, under the guidance of the Chancellor, Rhama made sure that Pina was remembered as the free-thinker that he was and an adventurous warrior who believed in the essentiality of Order. Within a century Pina's the only name anyone remembered from the Jedi Council of the time of the Schism, Tiberius and his supports being nameless faces that provoked Xendor and Arden into action. Danzigorro Potts' entries concerning what would be known as the First Great Schism were also kept in the records concerning the Schism. As the ripples of history continued to roll onward in the river of time, the Schism became a legend and the legend became myth.

Loki the Destroyer's descendants, despite no remembrance of their father was preserved either, would eventually evolve into the mighty Gorax species and their world would be named Endor. Rancors would disappear within centuries of the rise of the Gorax, replaced by the younger species on Endor. The wolves Loki had commanded in life would evolve into the pets of Goraxs in the future and their only true nemesis would rise in the form of the Ewoks. And as further time went on, many of the worlds and stars of Arden's days would fall victim to supernovas and other catastrophes that wiped them out.

Along the way, memory of the Kashi Mer would fade until at last, the knowledge of Xendor's relationship to it would be forgotten in the folds of time. The eons rolled by and the swords of Arden's days would eventually give birth to darksabers, the prototype of which would be stolen. However, this stolen weapon would be not lost but rather would slip its way into the hand of Mandalorian Pre Vizsla. In the meantime, the darksaber had given way to the protosaber which gave way for the perfected weapon: the lightsaber.

All these years went by and Arden still remained in her morichro, never released or even discovered by anyone. However, the immortal and indestructible Talisman always kept a watch on its pedestal. And like the predator eager for a night-meal, it waited for its next prey to arrive to its trap.


	63. SW: ALC: AOD: Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty**

_Arden, you are unable to speak directly but I know that you can still use telepathy_ the Talisman called to Arden despite her stasis. _What the hell do you want?_ she mentally asked. _Just a little bit of your time to fulfill the request of your father for after his death. He passed away not too long after reaching the entrance of these caverns as a result of grief and his wounds_ it said.

_Show me what you have to show me then_ she told it. A few seconds of the darkness Arden knew would be her eternity passed before she saw the image of her father recreated once more. "Arden, before our duel I had the Talisman imprint my memories and my answers to the many questions you must surely have to your lineage. Firstly, your mother's name was Patricia Lyn and you have inherited her clan name from her as all daughters do," Pina began.

_Patricia Lyn... yes, the name sounds familiar from what my aunt and uncle would tell me when I was growing up_ Arden said to herself quietly. "Eight years before I met her, I was tasked with the mission of hunting down the Amazonian tribes which were causing disruption to the Cathar. A code of honor existed in this matriarchal society that decreed only the strongest survived. And since my former concubine Athena was their Queen at that time, I challenged her on a single premise.

"That if she won, she was freed to raid the systems within four parsecs of her tribe as she wished. But if I won, then the Amazons were to disperse and never threaten any system again. After fourteen days of tracking down her location and fighting through her people, I beat her with ease. For five years, I was content to have her only as a concubine since her people normally allowed only death.

"That is, after Tiberius demanded that I reduce her to concubine status instead of being my first wife. She didn't mind but she did beg me to fulfill the debt and kill her for her failure to defeat me in single combat. Four months later, I was arranged to marry Patricia in respect to her lineage to Daegon Lok as well as her family's wealthy stature. Not to mention, her family were patrons of the Jedi Order and composed mostly of members of the Republic Senate and even the Courts.

"It was a bit of an insurance policy that would allow the Jedi and the Republic to remain allies. Though I didn't know why at the time, I understood that the Republic and the Jedi needed to keep good ties between each other in a galaxy fraught with danger. It was especially vital if Patricia and I wanted a galaxy where you could feel safe to be you and you alone. Unfortunately, I had to leave you and your mother shortly after you were conceived for a special mission: destroy the Kashi Mer Dynasty.

"It was a mission that lasted seven months and ended with Xendor, the Guardians of Breath, and the Royal Macheteros being the only ones who remained aside from the Talisman you bear. After spending a month and a half making arrangements for Xendor, I returned just in time for your birth. Your birth was the most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life and you are the most beautiful result all my years of struggle. As a result, I had to leave you with your aunt and uncle when your mother died giving birth to a half-brother conceived by one of her clients from whoring.

"I could not allow you to die in the streets or to be kidnapped and held for ransom by bandits who would beat and rape you before you were through. But even when I knew you would be safe with them, the next seventeen years before our first true meeting were the most terrible on me. I hope you can forgive me for having abandoned you and that you may find a second chance when you awake. It's what I sacrificed my life to do after placing you in the morichro trance you're in," the shade explained.

_So now I know just about everything from my family's past and what I know is more burdensome than I thought it would be. You needn't apologize for what you've done, daddy, I now understand you only did it to protect me from certain doom. I hope that we will one day be reunited and that we can amend the mistakes of the past together_ Arden replied. The shade smiled and then retreated before she even had a chance to say anything more to it despite her begging for him.

_I'd like to keep up this shade for longer but unfortunately, I need as much of my power as possible to keep your stasis sustained until you're ready to be revived_ the Talisman explained. _And how long will that be? Arden demanded. I don't know Arden, I just don't know. Only the will of the Force can dictate when that will happen_ it told her. Arden's hopelessness and fear crept back into her mind but the Talisman subdued her into docility once again.

Time ceased to be of essence to either one of them, the abandoned Kashi Mer fortress serving well as both a sanctuary and a prison. The bridge in the middle of the path and the deep abyss below it both served as good ways to pose a little risk unto someone daring to steal the treasures in this room. However, whether because Irkalla was already uninhabited or because people feared going there in case it was haunted, the only company Arden had were a few lizards. But because they could sense a pulse in her, they kept to themselves and looked around for other things to eat.

**500 years after the First Schism...**

Awakening from the ancient traditional trance of a true follower of Palawa, Zeus and his fellow Priests beheld the fortification of Irkalla in pity. After all, it was their Seconds falsely dictating their will that cost cost Arden and Xendor any hope of victory in the Great Schism. Since Arden was a Steel Hand of Palawa, it made things especially unforgivable to Zeus himself. "Prepare the mountains for their eruption, we need this chamber sealed as good and tight as possible," he ordered his Priests.

_I am sorry Arden, it is the only way to make sure no settlers on Irkalla stumble upon you and awaken you prematurely_ Zeus thought to himself quietly. "Is this really wise, Zeus? If even this portion of the mountain range were to erupt, it would be catastrophic for settlement on Irkalla. We could potentially throw this world into a permanent winter," asked fellow Priest Nobunaga.

"Better that than not allowing Arden the chance to return and sentence us to pay the debt of our Seconds from the Great Schism. Besides, we will need to be in a very long trance after this and I don't want to miss her return in order to restore our honor," Zeus said. "Then let someone find her and use the Talisman to revive her, what's the matter with that?" Nobunaga demanded. "Who knows how long it will be before anyone does find her and when they find her, what will they do?" Zeus asked.

"We are ready to commence with the eruption whenever you are, the traps on the opposite end of the bridge have been set in case anyone digs out this tunnel," another Priest interjected. "Very good, begin the ceremony but do nothing except gather power until Nobunaga and I join you," Zeus ordered. The Priest bowed and levitated himself into the sky with his nine other brothers and sisters. Then Nobunaga joined the circle, followed very closely by Zeus who guided the ceremony.

Concentrating all their energies on applying pressure to accelerate the eruption time, Zeus felt as each volcano within proximity to the underground fortress did its best to resist it. All twelve priests channeled their power into applying the pressure until the volcanoes finally gave up and erupted. It was a process that took hours to conduct and would take another hour or so to contain. None of the locals were Force-sensitive so they would not sense the Palawan's hands in causing the eruptions to occur.

As the felsic lava belched out of its containment, ash settled in the skies and spread in a thin cloud across the entirety of the planet as Nobunaga had anticipated. By the time the Priests were done here, the clouds would be too thick for anything short of a semi-nuclear winter on Irkalla. It would take millennia for Irkalla to become habitable and even then it'd be little better than its icy cousin Hoth. However, there was one stream of lava that began making its way into the tunnel which fascinated all twelve of the Priests.

While six channeled the rest down the gorge next to the mountain range, Zeus and Nobunaga joined four others in channeling their stream of focus and powering a telekinetic barrier at the bridge. This barrier would not only hold the lava back from actually crossing the bridge and into the abyss but it would also act to cool down the first several meters which would give plenty of time for it all to follow. The power to cause eruptions was taking its toll on the Priests but channeling lava so that it did not vaporize the chamber or fill the abyss took an even greater price. By the time enough of the lava had cooled to trust it as a barrier against intruders, many had bloody noses and splitting headaches.

Zeus himself fell ill to nausea from guiding the group and Nobunaga exerted flu-like symptoms. However, Zeus looked back on what they had achieved and knew there was enough surface mass in the mountain to protect the chamber from lava dripping into it from above. Though the treasures inside the chamber, Talisman included, would sell for millions of credits it was Arden that was too valuable. Knowing his work was done and knowing that evacuations from the wrath of the artificial eruption would be beginning, Zeus ordered his Priests to do the best they could to make it to the shuttles.

However, he agreed to have their current seconds help them in case they couldn't make it on their own for the spell exerted much of their physical and mental strength. "What is your will now that you have insured that Arden will awaken to have us pay our debt at a more suitable time?" Soki asked. Nobunaga inquired in concurrence to his brother and Zeus chuckled in admission that he had not expected this to still be the focus of either one of them. Nonetheless, he was more than willing to answer their question with the final outlines of his plan to the younger Priests.

"The power to control and cause an eruption has taken a greater toll on our bodies and minds than anything we have done before. As such we will act when we go back into our Trance in a few days time by going into it again for twenty-thousand years rather than one thousand. There will be no Second nominations after these current ones and their lives, isolating us from the rest of the Palawa during it all. Once we awaken, we will remain so not for a week but for a month before then restoring our one thousand year time-span until Arden reawakens to seek revenge," Zeus explained.

"Twenty-thousand years? Not since the ancient days of Palawa itself has any such enormous Trance been attempted, never mind performed. Are you sure we will have the capability to do it for such an immense period of time?" Nobunaga asked. "I choose to believe that we will have the ability for we must: Arden must be the one to put an end to us and no one else," Zeus answered.

"But how do you know that she will ever be discovered by anyone now that we've done this?" Soki demanded. "There will be those, even tens of millennia down the road of time, who will seek the legendary power of the Talisman. As the technology to scan for places to dig up historical evidence develops, those who seek it will try again and again until one of them succeeds. And when they succeed, we will be ready to greet Arden upon her return into the realm of the living," Zeus replied.

Shortly thereafter, the Priests arrived on the first hyperdrive-engined ship that would take them back to their homeworld of Bunduki. There, Zeus would dictate the Will of which he had informed Nobunaga, Soki, and the ten other Priests with them. After that, they would fall to the Trance while their final Seconds would grow old and die in the duty of maintaining their chambers. It was a punishment for the Priests that would be but a small step to paying the debt left by the betrayal done to Arden Lyn.

In his heart, Zeus admitted that he was afraid of what a twenty-thousand-year-long Trance would mean for the Followers of Palawa but he doubted they would be severely affected. Much of their daily existence did not come with direct influence from the Priests and seeing them was a rare occasion. It would be a minor adjustment to be made in the grand scheme of things that would likely suit the will of the Force and the deities who themselves dictated its will unto mortals like Zeus and millions of others. Smiling, he was glad to see a mild reaction when he made his speech to the other Followers as well as only a little timidness on Nobunaga's part in addition to Soki's.

"Brothers, sisters, the treachery inflicted on Arden by the Seconds of the Great Schism is something to be regretted until the debt is repaid. Once it is repaid with our blood, only then can it be truly settled and our souls be allowed to return to the Great Valley of Palawa," Zeus said firmly. "Are you truly sure that Arden taking her revenge will satisfy the Great God Palawa?" Nobunaga asked. "No I am not sure but all I can do is hope it does and trust my instincts," Zeus answered with a smile.

Then gathered together on the peak of the spiral that served as their domain, they breathed the slow breaths that allowed them to slip back into the Trance they were required to hold. _Twenty-thousand years... Hold on to her for at least that long, Talisman of the ancient and already-obscure Kashi Mer Dynasty. We will need her before the end of our long, unnatural mortal lives_ Zeus prayed to himself quietly. Then the Trance took over and the Priests of Palawa were once again out of touch with any that would call themselves a Follower of the Palawan vision.

**Twenty-three thousand, nine-hundred eighty-eight years later...**

Irkalla was not a fit place for any real settlement for life to inhabit in the same manner that Hoth was too cold to even support moss and lichen in a healthy ecosystem. Yet it never ceased to amuse Mitth'raw'nuruodo, known better by his Core Name Thrawn, how Hoth supported more life even so. For as long as he had remembered, Irkalla was no more greatly valued by the Chiss Ascendancy as either a great place for a penal colony or a great place for military training. Presently it served as a location for military training, another government fluctuation in its value to the people.

Hiking through the mountain range of Irkalla, Thrawn had to admit that he was impressed by the amount of brittle, crumbly felsic rock there was in the vast plain facing his right. Scanners had indicated that it was a very weak pumice that could be smashed through with ease. A great quantity of this, even so, would take years to dig through for anything valuable such as a historical artifact. _With the forces that created all this pumice rock, I wouldn't hope to find anything here anyhow_ he thought silently.

Disappointment crept into his mind for he had volunteered himself and his resources to the Irkalla outpost because of the legends of the Kashi Mer Talisman being trapped here. Unfortunately he knew the legend all too well to know that even if he did find it, it would not be unguarded. For in the very same chamber that the artifact lied in rest on the pedestal, the ancient Arden Lyn also awaited. _How is it possible for the Jedi to have placed this poor soul into a stasis that could last for so long with the simple intent of leaving her to rot?_ he asked pitifully.

So far, in his quest for artifacts of the past, he had found only a wall-portrait of the Legions of Lettow's primary General named Xendor. In the picture, Xendor was raising his sword to the sky in one hand and in the other, raising a flag that was undoubtedly bearing the Legion emblem. As he thought about all this, he continued to stare out at the pumice deposit and wonder how it had been made. "Sir, scanners are picking a hollow cavity in the mountain behind you.

"After about several hundred yards of the same pumice material that's in the gorge, there's a bridge overlooking a deep abyss. The bridge itself appears to be unbroken and could lead to somewhere of value, perhaps even to your favorite artifact," his lieutenant interjected. Thrawn asked himself quietly. "How long would it take for excavation to completely remove the rock?" he asked aloud.

"If we started next week, it would take about a decade or so to remove it all. We'd only need half that time to see if there's anything of value beyond the bridge," the lieutenant answered. "Then find the best archaeological teams we've got and have them get started by then," Thrawn ordered rapidly. "But sir, we don't even know if this is where the Talisman is; you could be just having another false hunch like any normal person would," the lieutenant warned.

"The only way to know for certain is if we dig at least enough to detect anything worth taking on the other side of the stuffed cavity in the mountain. Now do as I say soldier," Thrawn replied. The lieutenant bowed and marched back to the fortress to deliver Thrawn's orders to the entire outpost. Walking slowly up to the pumice in the cavity that the troop discovered, Thrawn gently rubbed a hand against it and felt as the grains of the outer layer gave way to his gentle push.

_This is the only cavity in the entire mountain range that could possibly stand a chance of supporting the Talisman and Arden. I will not leave this thing alone until I know whether or not it is the one_ Thrawn vowed to himself. Smiling, he rubbed the last of the crumb-like grains of the pumice between his index finger and thumb. After that, he decided it was best to rejoin his lieutenant back at the outpost and personally supervise preparations for the dig.

When three days were up equipment and the people to use it had been gathered under his scrutinous eye and within the next week, operations on the rock were beginning. Some days, Thrawn came and watched the excavation personally to relish the possible success ahead. Other times, such as when the Outbound Flight Project came his way five years later, he simply stayed behind and imagined. _The powers of a fallen god and the woman who last wielded it at my command, it would be a great weapon for disposing of the Ascendancy Council and dealing with Jedi_ he thought smugly.

Another five years would see to the completion of the excavation and the first crossing of the bridge for the first time in two years short of twenty-four thousand and five-hundred years. "Not since the First Great Schism has this bridge been used for any purpose. We are here, gentlemen," he said. The pride that spewed out of his voice at that point was more than enough to motivate several people to walk straight into the traps left behind on the other side.

If he could, he would have walked ahead himself but Chiss Ascendancy conduct forbid people of Thrawn's status from making those risks personally. Nonetheless, Thrawn had requested to be there with those who cracked the codes to diffusing the traps and permanently eliminating them as a threat. During this time, in Known Space, the Clone Wars had begun and would continue to ravage for another three years. It would have not concerned Thrawn much were it not for his exile by the Ascendancy and the arrival of two extraordinary young Zabraks attuned to the Force: Darth Maul and Savage Opress.

But their arrival would be marked with a streak of bad luck for a special event occurred while he was away: Arden Lyn had finally awakened from her morichro trance. At that point, it had just been a few minutes passed the exact time in which she was originally placed in it all those years ago. Smug in his success in finally awakening Arden and finding the Talisman, he hatched an idea for her and Maul. In exchange for an alliance, he decided to persuade him to bring her to him alive (if possible).

_I have waited fifty-two years of my centuries-long life just for the occasion when I would meet Arden Lyn. Now that I have the beginnings of a vanguard into Known Space, perhaps I can see if I can add Arden and her resources to it. No harm in waiting a little longer to see what she makes of this alien universe that she has awakened into_ he thought quietly. "Let's see: now that Maul is on his way to collect my prize, let's see how I can help him form his vanguard," he said aloud.

"In Known Space, there are several terrorist and criminal organizations that have usable 'armies' of minions under the assumption that you want to call them that," his lieutenant interjected. "Name an organization that has a grudge against members of the Jedi Order off the top of your head," Thrawn asked him. "Only one that comes to mind is a Mandalorian terrorist group named Death Watch," the lieutenant answered. "Under the leadership of Clan Vizsla's present chief, Pre Vizsla, no doubt?" Thrawn inquired.

The lieutenant nodded and asked if he needed to make a list of anymore organizations. "Please do, Maul will need them upon his return from the trip to capture Arden," Thrawn replied with a smile.


	64. SW: ALC: AOD: Epilogue

**Epilogue**

After twenty-four and a half thousand years, Arden Lyn was finally coming under the grasp of Death itself. As her spirit fluttered from her body, she was immediately greeted by the spirits of Depa Billaba, Paris Zaarin, and her father Awdrysta Pina. By this time, she had already found out that Xendor was still trapped in the Netherworld of Chaos and wondered if it was for the best. After all, even though he had apologized for hurting her, he never made peace with himself before he died.

Those who did not make peace with their sins before their death were generally doomed to suffer the consequences upon their deaths and there were no exceptions. However, Arden had to admit that she wondered why she was here rather than in Chaos as she expected. "You made peace with yourself before you died and gained passage to the World of Ashla as a result," Pina explained. "But what about my daughter, surely someone will watch over her?" she asked.

"Not to worry, you will be allowed to see her every now and then as well as watch her grow into the powerful warrior she will one day become," Paris assured her. "How do either of you know that?" she inquired. "Before you and I were born, Arden, there was a prophecy uttered that there would be a woman born of both Bogan and Ashla who would stand forever alone in the nexus between them. This isn't the near-equally ancient prophecy of the Chosen but an older prophecy where a child born from a wielder of darkness and raised by Jedi will have the power to wield both near-infinitely.

"Your daughter will be raised by Jedi and was born of a woman who wielded the Dark Side. The baptism of the Prophets only affected her mentality and enhanced her maturity by a few years. She'll need it for the difficult road that is to come ahead as a result of her burdensome destiny," Pina said. _So Kadann did something good with that baptism and it wasn't just a useless waste of time and energy_ Arden thought with a smile.

As she thought this, she continued to watch from the Gateway to Ashla as Luke rescued her daughter and left her in the care of his sister as he had promised he would before ending Arden's life. _Way to go Skywalker, you've gained my trust and you are the only one alive who can say that though I am dead and can't share that with you yet_ Arden said to herself. However, when Cassandra awoke from being unconscious and cried for her mother, Arden really desired to be there. Nevertheless, she appreciated the man called Han Solo comforting her on her behalf and slowly turned away from the last view she would have of her daughter for quite some time.

"Arden, are you ready to enter the Gardens of Ashla with me?" Paris asked. "Yes, sorry: I just had to see our little girl one last time," she answered. "I don't blame you but the road ahead of her will necessitate our temporary return to the land of the living. Dead and trapped in Chaos as he is, something tells me Xendor may yet have a part to play in her life for good or ill before she dies," he stated.

"What are you talking about?" Arden asked. "Though firmly sealed there, the seals around him are beginning to break. It is only a matter of time before they crumble altogether," Paris answered. Though she didn't like the sound of that, she did like that she had broken the curse and that her daughter was safe from harm. On that mostly-positive note, Arden Lyn finally ended her long life.


End file.
